The Great North American Eclipse: What to Expect for Massachusetts

We are officially one month away from an interstellar experience that only comes around once in a blue moon.

A solar eclipse is expected to blanket a large portion of the United States in darkness in April and is expected to last longer, be brighter, and be more visible than the last solar eclipse in 2017.

Will the SouthCoast be affected? Here’s what to expect during "The Great North American Eclipse" of 2024.

Get our free mobile app

What Is a Solar Eclipse?

NASA defines a solar eclipse as a celestial event where the moon moves in between the Sun and Earth. The Moon blocks the light of the sun from reaching Earth, causing an eclipse of the sun, resulting in the Moon casting a shadow onto Earth.

Surprisingly, solar eclipses happen every 18 months somewhere on Earth and last only a few minutes, but several states in the US will experience a total solar eclipse this April.

“The people who see the total eclipse are in the center of the Moon’s shadow when it hits Earth,” said NASA. “The sky becomes very dark as if it were night.”

The Sun, Moon, and Earth will be perfectly aligned, charting a 115-mile-wide path of totality across portions of Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

When and Where to See the Solar Eclipse

Hundreds of cities and smaller towns in 13 states will lie along the path on April 8^th.

According to National Eclipse, as the moon’s shadow travels northeast, totality in the US will begin at 1:27 pm CDT in Eagle Pass, Texas. From there, the path will cut diagonally across the country before ending around 3:33 pm EDT in Lee, Maine.

Cities will experience periods of darkness for a few seconds or even four minutes, depending on location.

Will the SouthCoast Be Affected by the Solar Eclipse?

Since Massachusetts and Rhode Island do not fall in the direct path of the solar eclipse, our experience will be a partial eclipse.

A partial solar eclipse happens when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not exactly aligned and the Sun appears to have a dark shadow on a small part of its surface.

While our area is not in the direct path, make no mistake. The solar eclipse of 2024 will still offer an incredible spectacle in the afternoon sky.

Expect the partial eclipse to hit Rhode Island and Massachusetts at 3:29 pm, according to National Eclipse.

Safely View the Solar Eclipse

Friendly reminder: Do not look directly at the Sun. Use proper safety equipment to look at any type of solar eclipse. Attempting to view an eclipse using sunglasses, binoculars, telescopes, cameras, or other devices that don’t have solar filters is extremely hazardous. If you want to look directly at it, special eclipse safety glasses or viewers are necessary.

Start planning your solar eclipse plans. North America won't experience totality again until 2033.