Eclipse Viewing - Two eclipses are coming to Texas!

What is an Eclipse?

A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon and Earth are lined up in space, with the moon between the earth and the sun.

Annular eclipse – Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023

During an annular eclipse, the moon will cover part of the sun. It will look slightly smaller than the sun, creating the illusion of a ring of fire in the sky. The path of this eclipse in Texas is from Midland/Odessa to Corpus Christi.

Depending on where you are, this display will last from a few seconds to nearly five minutes. The closer you are to the middle of the eclipse’s path, the more time you’ll get to enjoy that ring of fire.

In the annular eclipse, the moon will begin to block the sun around 10:20 am on Oct. 14. The ring of fire will appear around 11:41 am along the Texas-New Mexico border and follow a path southeast across Texas.

Total eclipse – Monday, April 8, 2024

The moon will blot out the entire sun for a total solar eclipse. For a few minutes, it will look and feel like twilight. You will be able to see this rare event along a line across Texas from Del Rio to Texarkana.

During the total eclipse, the moon will start to block the sun around noon on April 8. Totality will begin at 1:30 pm near Del Rio and trace a line northwest across Texas.

Totality will last from a few seconds to about 4.5 minutes depending on where you are along the path. You will need to be in the path of totality to get the full eclipse experience.

What to Expect

For both eclipse events, you will see a partial solar eclipse before and after totality (total coverage). If you’re outside of the eclipses’ paths, you will only see a partial eclipse.

How to See the Eclipses

Solar eclipses are magical experiences. Ensure you have a memorable day by planning.

First, and most importantly, protect your eyes. Purchase ISO-rated eclipse glasses or use an indirect observation method, like a pinhole viewer.

You must use eye protection to view any part of October’s annular eclipse.

For April’s total eclipse, it’s only safe to look directly at the sun during the few minutes of totality. Otherwise, you’ll need to use eclipse glasses or a pinhole viewer.