When Is the Next Eclipse? Astronomers and Astrologists Answer Your Burning Eclipse Questions
Sometimes it can feel like your life is the center of the universe, but then you look up at the night sky and realize our world is so much bigger than us. Perhaps that's the reason people go starry-eyed for all the amazing things our galaxy can do—a glowing blood moon, a meteor shower, or a solar or lunar eclipse. There's something celestial—even magical—about the intersection of astronomy and astrology, which is why so many months in advance, people want to know when the next eclipse is in 2024.
Keep reading to see what experts have to say about eclipses in general—plus, information on 2024's next eclipse coming up.
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What is an eclipse?
According to the NASA website, an eclipse "occurs when one heavenly body, such as a moon or planet, moves into the shadow of another heavenly body." The two main types of eclipses are solar and then lunar.
Astrophysicist and folklorist Dr. Moiya McTier is the co-host of Multitude podcasts Pale Blue Pod and host of Explore as well as the author of the book The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy.
"Most generally, an eclipse is when one body passes in front of another, obscuring it from view," Dr. McTier tells Parade. "Eclipses happen when the Earth, sun and moon are in special configurations with each other."
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What is an eclipse, explained for kids?
Some adults are still trying to wrap their heads around what an eclipse actually is, so if you're not sure how to explain an eclipse to kids, don't sweat it. For both parents and even teachers, explaining eclipses to kids can be tough.
You know, the "heavenly bodies" and "special configurations" of it all...
Luckily, the European Space Agency (ESA) offers meaningful resources for parents, and educators alike when it comes to explaining solar eclipses to children, writing:
"A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between Earth and the Sun. When this happens, the Moon gradually blocks out the light from the Sun. If the Sun and Moon line up perfectly in the sky, we call it a total solar eclipse. The daytime sky becomes darker, until it feels just like night—you can even see the stars!"
In simple terms, explain to a child that a solar eclipse is when the moon blocks the light from the sun as it moves between Earth and sun.
The ESA continues to explain lunar eclipses to children as:
Up to three times a year, the full Moon's bright face slowly changes to a dark orange colour. This is called a lunar eclipse. It happens when the Moon is exactly on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun. The Moon then passes through the Earth's shadow. But some sunlight is able to pass through the Earth's atmosphere and reach the Moon, giving it an orange color.
If you need help explaining that in layman's terms—for kids!—tell a child that lunar eclipses happen when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth to the sun, which results in the moon looking orange in color.
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Differences between solar and lunar eclipses
There are two types—solar and lunar eclipses—and each depends on the positioning of the sun, moon and Earth in relation to each other.
Eddie Mahoney, a NASA astronomer who runs an astrophotography workshop at Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa in Hawaii, tells Parade, "A solar eclipse is when the moon passes in front of the sun and a lunar eclipse is when the Earth blocks the sun's light from reaching the moon.
Dr. McTier explains, "A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between the Earth and sun. It casts a tiny shadow on the surface of the earth called the umbra of the eclipse."
As mentioned above, lunar eclipses can also often result in the moon appearing as if it's glowing with a distinct orange hue.
"Lunar eclipses happen when the Earth is directly between the sun and moon, so the Earth casts a big shadow on our only natural satellite," Dr. McTier adds. "Another difference is that a total lunar eclipse always happens on a full moon, and a total solar eclipse always happens during a new moon."
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There's another main difference between solar and lunar eclipses too, and that's how often they occur.
"Eclipses don't happen on completely regular schedules, but they come in irregular periods," Dr. McTier explains. "Total solar eclipses happen roughly every 18 months and total lunar eclipses usually happen once 2.5 years, but we seem to be in a very eclipse-heavy period right now."
According to NASA, there are also subcategories of lunar eclipses: total lunar eclipse and partial lunar eclipse.
"A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon and the sun are on exact opposite sides of Earth," the NASA website explains. "Although the moon is in Earth's shadow, some sunlight reaches the moon. The sunlight passes through Earth's atmosphere, which filters out most of the blue light. This makes the moon appear red to people on Earth. Earth's shadow passes in front of the moon until it turns red or orange."
Alternatively, a partial lunar eclipse is when only part of the moon is in the Earth's shadow. During this kind of eclipse, Earth's shadow is extremely dark on the side of the moon that actually faces Earth.
In both scenarios, however, lunar eclipses usually last longer than solar eclipses.
"A lunar eclipse usually lasts for a few hours. At least two partial lunar eclipses happen every year, but total lunar eclipses are rare," NASA writes.
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When is the next eclipse?
The next eclipse will fall on Sept. 17-18, 2024; it's a partial lunar eclipse, according to NASA.
The last eclipse we saw was on April 8, 2024, and that was a total solar eclipse. Most of America was able to see at least a partial view of the full eclipse, which plunged a lot of people into darkness if they were in the path of totality (which was Texas through Maine).
As USA Today reported, this partial lunar eclipse coincides with September's supermoon (the second one this year, where the full moon is closest to the Earth). Again, a lunar eclipse is when the Earth is between the moon and the sun, casting a shadow onto the moon. And it makes sense that this is happening during September's supermoon since lunar eclipses always happen during a full moon. Because it's only a partial lunar eclipse, only some of the moon will appear red.
What to know about the Sept. 17-18, 2024 eclipse
The next eclipse in 2024 is a partial lunar eclipse and most of North America will be able to see it. TimeandDate has a fun interactive map that will show you an animation of what this lunar eclipse will look like. According to TimeandDate, over 3.48 billion people will be able to see at least some part of this eclipse.
The Maximum Eclipse will happen on Sept. 18, 2024, at 10:44 EST/9:44 p.m. CST.
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When are the 2024 eclipses?
There are four eclipses in 2024. The big one was on April 8, the total solar eclipse we've been talking about. But there are a few others to keep an eye on the skies for:
March 24-25, 2024: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
This eclipse was visible in most of Europe, North to East Asia, a lot of Australia and much of Africa. It was also visible in some of North and South America. A penumbral lunar eclipse "occurs when Earth's outer shadow falls on the Moon's face," per TimeandDate. They note that it's easy to miss it.
April 8, 2024: Total Solar Eclipse
The total solar eclipse (which we talked about above) will be visible in Western Europe, North America, northern South America and more.
Sept. 17-18, 2024: Partial Lunar Eclipse
This eclipse will be visible in Europe, a lot of Asia, North America, South America and more.
Mahoney says, "This is when the Earth blocks some of the sunlight from reaching the moon and it becomes darker for a few hours."
Oct. 2, 2024: Annular Solar Eclipse
Lastly, there will be an annular solar eclipse on Oct. 2. "This is when the moon does not completely cover the sun and a ring of sunlight is still visible," Mahoney says.
This eclipse will be visible in North America, a lot of South America and the oceans.
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