--- title: Here's What a Solar Eclipse Looks Like From Space description: A phenomenon that is eye-popping on Earth is less so when viewed from the balcony. canonical: https://time.com/6962668/what-does-solar-eclipse-look-like-space/ author: Jeffrey Kluger article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-04-07T12:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:30.378Z article:section: Science og:title: Here's What a Solar Eclipse Looks Like From Space og:description: A phenomenon that is eye-popping on Earth is less so when viewed from the balcony. og:url: https://time.com/6962668/what-does-solar-eclipse-look-like-space/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad621729be9052a1/698a5548db2987c5b526b822/iss052e056122orig.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4928 og:image:height: 2772 og:image:alt: iss052e056122~orig og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's What a Solar Eclipse Looks Like From Space twitter:description: A phenomenon that is eye-popping on Earth is less so when viewed from the balcony. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad621729be9052a1/698a5548db2987c5b526b822/iss052e056122orig.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:13 video:published: 2024-02-27 section: science topics: total solar eclipse, April 8 eclipse, moon orbit, annular eclipse, path of totality, eclipse rarity, Texas, US eclipse viewing, sun and moon size, next eclipse 2044 genre: explainer tones: informative, enthusiastic, clear, urgent emotions: curiosity (high), excitement (medium), awe (medium) sentiment: positive audience: general audience, astronomy enthusiasts, students, eclipse viewers, US residents people: Jeffrey Kluger organizations: TIME transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Here's What a Solar Eclipse Looks Like From Space > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=9f562724-98cd-49a4-bd8a-76593b13da22&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 2024 U.S. Total Eclipse Explained [Watch (HLS stream): 2024 U.S. Total Eclipse Explained](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MOMY0Lpx.m3u8) (2:13)  _Published 2024-02-27. A rare total solar eclipse will occur across Mexico, the U.S., and Canada on April 8, 2024, when the moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, blocking the sun’s rays during the day time, causing a temporary period of darkness. TIME Editor-at-Large Jeffrey Kluger explains the best way to experience it._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video explains what a total solar eclipse is and why total eclipses are rare for any given location. It describes how the sun and moon appear the same size from Earth, and how the moon's tilted and elliptical orbit usually prevents a total eclipse. It then covers why the April 8 eclipse is notable, including where it enters Texas, which places could see the longest darkness, and how many people live in its path. It closes by noting that the next total solar eclipse to hit the US Mainland will not occur until 2044. ## Key points - Since 1900, only 12 total eclipses have touched the US Mainland, most of them only glancingly. (00:13) - On average, a total solar eclipse happens at any given location only once every 375 years. (00:18) - The sun is about 400 times larger than the moon but also about 400 times farther away, so they appear the same size from Earth. (00:28) - The moon's tilted orbit causes its shadow to miss the Earth most of the time. (00:50) - When the moon is farther from Earth in its elliptical orbit, it appears too small to fully block the sun, producing annular eclipses. (00:59) - A total eclipse is possible only at the moon's closest approach, and the narrow band of totality usually tracks over water or away from population centers. (01:12) - The April 8 eclipse crosses the Texas border at about 1:27 p.m. local time; places near the path's center, like Waco, Cleveland and Buffalo, could see 4 minutes or more of darkness. (01:25) - About 31 million US residents live in the path of the eclipse, and most of the US will experience some level of darkness. (01:44) - The next total solar eclipse to hit the US Mainland won't be until 2044. (02:03) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:25] What total eclipses are and how rare. Defines a total eclipse and gives statistics on how seldom they touch the US Mainland or any one location. - [00:25 to 01:12] Why eclipses are rare. Explains the sun-moon size coincidence, the moon's tilted and elliptical orbit, and annular eclipses. - [01:12 to 01:50] Why the April 8 eclipse is special. Describes the narrow band of totality, the Texas crossing time, cities with long totality, and the population in the path. - [01:50 to 02:13] Viewing outlook and next eclipse. Notes that most of the US will see some darkness and that the next US Mainland total eclipse is in 2044. ## Key quotes - [00:18] Jeffrey Kluger: "on average a total solar eclipse will happen where you live only once every 375 years." - [00:28] Jeffrey Kluger: "the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon but the sun is also 400 times farther away." - [01:44] Jeffrey Kluger: "in all 31 million us residents live in the path of the eclipse." - [01:59] Jeffrey Kluger: "It's a 2-hour spectacle that you don't want to miss" ## Questions this video answers - How often does a total solar eclipse occur in any given location? [00:18] - Why do the sun and moon appear the same size from Earth? [00:28] - Why doesn't the moon cause an eclipse every month? [00:43] - What is an annular eclipse? [01:03] - When does the April 8 eclipse reach Texas, and which places could see the longest totality? [01:25] - When is the next total solar eclipse to hit the US Mainland? [02:03]  by [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/)  ## Jeffrey Kluger Editor at Large Apr 7, 2024 12:00 PM UTC  Millions of people across the U.S. experienced a total eclipse in Aug. 2017 as the umbra, or moon’s shadow, passed over them. Only six people witnessed the umbra from space. Millions of people across the U.S. experienced a total eclipse in Aug. 2017 as the umbra, or moon’s shadow, passed over them. Only six people witnessed the umbra from space. NASA/JSC  by [Jeffrey Kluger](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/)  ## Jeffrey Kluger Editor at Large Apr 7, 2024 12:00 PM UTC Few people get a better view of the Earth than those who are actually _off_ the Earth—astronauts who can look down on our planet from above. They are the lucky handful who get to experience the so-called [overview effect](https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/houston-we-have-a-podcast/the-overview-effect/)—the transcendent sense of seeing the world as the fragile biosphere it is, set against the blackness of space. But when it comes to witnessing a solar eclipse, the astronauts don’t have it so good, with a phenomenon that is flat-out eye popping when witnessed from the surface of our world, appearing dark, unsettling, and even a little ugly from space. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun, blocking out most of its light. It’s as striking as it is thanks to a bit of cosmic serendipity: the sun is about 400 times bigger than the moon, but it’s also about 400 times farther away, meaning that the two disks appear to be about the same size when we see them in our skies. During an eclipse, that makes for a perfect fit, with the moon obscuring the entire body of the sun, while allowing the solar fires to flare out on all sides. **Read More**: [_These Are All the Different Types of Eclipses_](https://time.com/6882980/eclipse-types-lunar-annular/) Magnificent as that juxtaposition seems, it’s really nothing more dramatic than the moon casting a localized shadow on Earth. As the moon orbits the Earth, and the Earth spins on its axis, that shadow moves across the surface of the planet at about 1,600 km/h (1,000 mph). So what would you see if you were looking down on it from above? A dark, moving blotch—a sort of floating bruise on the world. "It was unlike anything I've ever seen," former space station astronaut Terry Virts recently [told USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/03/30/how-solar-looks-from-space/73019253007/). "I joke I'm glad they told us there was an eclipse because it would have been unsettling to look down at Earth and see this black spot moving across." **Read More**: [_Where You Can Watch the Solar Eclipse_](https://time.com/6835995/how-to-watch-solar-eclipse-cities/) On April 8, that black spot will be racing to the northeast, from western Mexico, through Texas and up toward New England and Canada’s maritime provinces, visible in its totality to more than 31 million people in the U.S. alone. They will have some of the best seats in the house for the command performance that will be playing out in the skies. Meantime, as the [10 people currently in space](https://whoisinspace.com/)—seven aboard the International Space Station and three aboard China’s Tiangong space station—will learn anew, the view from the balcony often doesn’t measure up. ## Transcript [00:03] Total eclipses occur when the moon passes directly between [00:08] the Earth and the Sun blocking solar light since 1900 [00:13] only 12 have touch the US Mainland most of them only glancingly [00:18] on average a total solar eclipse will happen where you live [00:22] only once every 375 years. [00:25] Why are they so rare? [00:28] Well, the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon but the [00:33] sun is also 400 times farther away. [00:35] So the two bodies appear about the same size to us on the moon [00:42] orbits the earth once each month. [00:43] So why doesn't it Shadow touch the Earth causing an eclipse [00:48] with each pass? [00:50] Partly because the moon's orbit is tilted slightly which causes [00:54] its shadow to miss the Earth most of the time but it's also [00:59] because the moon's orbit is elliptical for much of its path. [01:03] The Moon is farther away from Earth and appears too small to block [01:07] out the sun completely those eclipses are called annular. [01:12] Only when the eclipse occurs at the moon's closest approach [01:16] is a total eclipse possible, even then the narrow band of totality [01:21] usually tracks over water or away from population centers. [01:25] That's why this eclipse on April 8th is so special as it crosses [01:31] the Texas border at about 1:27 p.m. [01:34] Local time sitting closest to the center of the path like Waco [01:39] Cleveland and buffalo could witness up for 4 minutes or more [01:44] of darkness in all 31 million us residents live in the path [01:49] of the eclipse. [01:50] Even if you don't live in the path of totality most of the US [01:54] will experience some level of Darkness. [01:59] It's a 2-hour spectacle that you don't want to miss because [02:03] the next total solar eclipse to hit the US Mainland won't be until [02:08] 2044. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6962668/what-does-solar-eclipse-look-like-space/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6962668/what-does-solar-eclipse-look-like-space/"},"headline":"Here's What a Solar Eclipse Looks Like From Space","datePublished":"2024-04-07T12:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:50:30.378Z","description":"A phenomenon that is eye-popping on Earth is less so when viewed from the balcony.","url":"https://time.com/6962668/what-does-solar-eclipse-look-like-space/","keywords":["Eclipse","healthscienceclimate","Solar Eclipse 2024"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad621729be9052a1/698a5548db2987c5b526b822/iss052e056122orig.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jeffrey Kluger","jobTitle":"Editor at Large","url":"https://time.com/author/jeffrey-kluger/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad621729be9052a1/698a5548db2987c5b526b822/iss052e056122orig.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"iss052e056122~orig","caption":"iss052e056122 (Aug. 21, 2017) --- As millions of people across the United States experienced a total eclipse as the umbra, or moon’s shadow passed over them, only six people witnessed the umbra from space. 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