Across parts of the United States, Mexico and Canada, would-be eclipse-gazers are on the move for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Millions of people will tilt their heads skyward on Monday, marveling at a total solar eclipse. The moon will cross the sun and block its light for a few fleeting moments, creating a communal celestial experience that will not again be so accessible to people in the United States, Canada or Mexico for decades.

The total solar eclipse’s path — the expanse where the moon fully obscures the sun — stretches from Mexico’s Pacific Coast to the fringes of Atlantic Canada, passing through dozens of major cities where authorities are preparing for an influx of visitors eager to experience what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

In New York, signs along the Thruway urged travelers to “Arrive Early, Stay Late” to avoid the inevitable jams that will clog routes to and from prime viewing areas along the eclipse’s path.

Closer to Niagara Falls, which is in the path of totality, the second half of the message switched to a more realistic “Expect Delays.”

The Path of the Eclipse

On April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America from Mazatlán, Mexico, to the Newfoundland coast near Gander, Canada. Viewers outside the path of the total eclipse will see a partial eclipse, if the sky is clear.


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10%

Percentage of

the sun obscured

during the eclipse

30%

50%

70%

100%

Gander

70%

CANADA

50%

Montreal

Buffalo

30%

UNITED

STATES

Cleveland

10%

Atlantic

Ocean

Indianapolis

Dallas

Little Rock

Austin

San Antonio

Pacific

Ocean

Mazatlán

MEXICO

Percentage of

the sun obscured

during the eclipse

10%

30%

50%

70%

100%

Gander

5:13 p.m. NDT

70%

CANADA

50%

Montreal

3:26 p.m. EDT

Buffalo

3:18 p.m. EDT

30%

UNITED

STATES

10%

Indianapolis

3:05 p.m. EDT

Cleveland

3:13 p.m. EDT

Atlantic

Ocean

Dallas

1:40 p.m. CDT

Little Rock

1:51 p.m. CDT

San Antonio

1:33 p.m. CDT

Mazatlán

11:07 a.m. MST

Pacific

Ocean

MEXICO

Gander

CANADA

Montreal

Buffalo

UNITED

STATES

Cleveland

Indianapolis

Atlantic

Ocean

Dallas

Little Rock

San Antonio

Pacific

Ocean

Mazatlán

MEXICO

By Jonathan Corum | Eclipse data from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the United States since 2017, and there will not be another visible in the lower 48 states until 2044. On Monday, much of the country is expected to take in the view. In 2017, a majority of American adults watched the eclipse in person, according to an estimate by Jon D. Miller, a research scientist at the University of Michigan. The figure, 154 million, is far beyond the audience of even the most-watched Super Bowl (123.4 million this year). And the path of totality for Monday’s eclipse crosses over more than twice the number of people as did the 2017 event.

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