2023
Solar Eclipse

An annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. This eclipse will be visible for millions of people in the Western Hemisphere.

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October

Let's get ready

A young child holds eclipse glasses up to their eyes

Safety

Learn how to safely view the solar eclipse.

A map zoomed in on New Mexico, with Albuquerque written in orange, and a gray band crossing from the top left to bottom right of the state.

Where and When

Explore NASA's interactive map and learn when to watch.

An annular eclipse, shown as an orange ring against a black background

What to Expect

See what it's like to experience an annular solar eclipse.

Live Broadcast

Watch the eclipse live from anywhere on Oct. 14.

A golden circle, surrounded by a gray circle, surrounded by a red circle. This is a coronograph, revealing the Sun's atmosphere.

Eclipse FAQs

Read the answers to common questions about this eclipse.

Annular Eclipse broadcast

On Oct. 14, Experience the Eclipse

Join NASA experts for a live broadcast of the annular solar eclipse.

Want to see more? At the link below, viewers can tune in on Oct. 14 for telescope livestreams across the path, rocket launches during the eclipse, and a broadcast in Spanish.

Watch the Livestreams

On Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross North, Central, and South America. Visible in parts of the United States, Mexico, and many countries in South and Central America, millions of people in the Western Hemisphere can experience this eclipse.

During an annular eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing. Review these safety guidelines to prepare for Oct. 14, 2023.

Experience the annular eclipse using the latest 3D interactive technology from NASA. Using your mouse or touchpad, click inside the above window and interact with Earth to witness the eclipse. Select your view from the four options, zoom in and out, use the time controls to move forward and backwards in time, and see if your neighborhood is in the path of the shadow. You control it all with NASA's Eyes. Visit eyes.nasa.gov to learn more.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/VTAD

Safety

It is never safe to look directly at the Sun during an annular eclipse without wearing solar viewing or eclipse glasses.

The Sun is never completely blocked by the Moon during an annular solar eclipse. Therefore, during an annular eclipse, it is never safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing. You can also use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector.

NASA employees use protective glasses to view a partial solar eclipse from the rooftop at NASA Headquarters on Aug. 21, 2017, in Washington, DC.

Credit: NASA/Connie Moore

What to Expect on Oct. 14

An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth while it is at its farthest point from Earth.

Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the star. This creates a “ring of fire” effect in the sky.

A ring of golden sunlight appears around the Moon, which looks like a black disk, set against a black background. The ring of sunlight is thinner in the upper left and thicker in the lower right.

During an annular solar eclipse, as shown here, the Sun is never completely blocked by the Moon.

NASA/Bill Dunford

Where & When Can I View the Annular Solar Eclipse?

On Oct. 14, 2023, the annular eclipse will begin in the United States, traveling from the coast of Oregon to the Texas Gulf Coast

Weather permitting, the annular eclipse will be visible in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as some parts of California, Idaho, Colorado, and Arizona.

The annular eclipse will continue on to Central America, passing over Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Panama. In South America, the eclipse will travel through Colombia before ending off the coast of Natal, Brazil, in the Atlantic Ocean.

Illustrated map of the United States shows the path of the 2023 eclipse. The path crosses from Oregon down through Texas, exiting over the ocean.

This map illustrates the paths of the Moon’s shadow across the U.S. during the 2023 annular solar eclipse.

NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio

Featured Story

Meet the Creators of NASA’s Newest Eclipse Art

To celebrate the special role of eclipses in connecting art and science, creatives across NASA will be sharing their eclipse-inspired…

Read the Story

There is a retro-style backdrop of stacked stones, reminiscent of the American west. A convertible with a trailer attached to back drives along the road, under a stone archway. An annular eclipse is against the sky, shown as a yellow ring surrounding a black circle. Part of the eclipse path against a map of the U.S. is in the background. The poster reads "October 14, 2023. Visit hundreds of City, County, State and National Parks & Public Lands. Experience the Great Western RING OF FIRE ECLIPSE from America's Scenic Wonder Land."

More Ways to Experience the Eclipse

Citizen Science

Observing a solar eclipse is just one of many ways to get in on the fun of doing science – you can get involved with NASA science by participating in citizen science projects.

Participate in Science

Resources

From downloadable posters to coloring sheets, and videos to interactive demos, there are tons of fun ways for the whole family to experience eclipses.

Explore the Activities

Heliophysics Big Year

The annular solar eclipse kicks off the Heliophysics Big Year – a global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth and the entire solar system.

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