Sky & Telescope - January 2025 - 4

SPECTRUM by Peter Tyson
Eclipse Prep
WHEN IT COMES TO upcoming solar eclipses, it can be hard to keep
straight what kind is happening when and where.
Every year, between two and five solar eclipses occur. But for
each event, are we talking a total, annular, partial, or hybrid solar
eclipse? On average in any given year, the chance that any given
eclipse will be total is about 26.7%, annular 33.2%, partial 35.3%, and hybrid
4.8% (figures from Fred Espenak's useful primer at https://is.gd/SEprimer).
But there's no easily grasped rhythm to which type happens at any given
time or place. For example, while we had memorable total and annular eclipses
in recent years, even a rare hybrid in April 2023, there are no total, annular, or
hybrid solar eclipses in 2025 anywhere on the planet. This is disappointing to
eclipse aficionados, who will go to almost any length to witness totality.
There are two partial solar eclipses in 2025. But as
the table on page 27 shows, there are no partials at all
during the following six years, save for in 2029. And
that year, as if to make up for the dearth, will feature
four partial solar eclipses. Go figure.
Arguably as disheartening for eclipse lovers is the
Totality during the April
2024 total eclipse, as seen
from Dardenelle, Arkansas
near-complete lack of totals, annulars, or hybrids in
most of North America from 2026 through 2035.
Have a look at the map on page 28. As you can see,
the only non-partial solar eclipses during that 10-year
period skirt the farthest fringes of the continent -
in Greenland (2026), Panama (2031), and Alaska
(2033). That's a far cry from the continent-crossing
totals we enjoyed in 2017 and 2024.
To a layperson, it can all seem arbitrary, as though which type occurs where
and when is just a roll of the celestial dice. Yet it's anything but. Nature's choreography
of solar eclipses follows well-defined patterns (S&T: Jan. 2024, p. 60).
For the average person, though, keeping track of even the next few years'
eclipses can leave your head spinning. Which is why Joe Rao's " Upcoming Solar
Eclipses: 2025 to 2035 " (page 26) is a welcome guide. It gives basics on the
what-where-when for the entire decade-plus to help eclipse devotees prepare.
For as Rao notes, " It's never too early to begin planning your next eclipse
adventure - or your first. " If you'd like to share the experience with fellow
eclipsophiles, see skyandtelescope.org/tours. There you'll find trips to view the
2026 and 2027 total eclipses as well as the 2025 partial in Greenland.
To all chasers of solar eclipses - of whatever type, territory,
and time of year - here's to clear skies on the big day.
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Sky & Telescope - January 2025

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