Solar Eclipse Path Map: How Much of the Sun You'll See
A solar eclipse path map shows two things. The first is a narrow band where the Moon covers the Sun completely, or leaves only a thin ring around it. The second is a much wider area around that band where the Sun is only partly covered. To see how much of the Sun the next eclipse covers from your place, find yourself on the map. Inside the band you get the full event. Outside it, the share of the Sun that disappears gets smaller the farther you are from the center line. Past the outer edge, you see nothing at all. This article explains how to read each part of the map so you can tell what you will actually see from home.
What a solar eclipse path map shows
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and its shadow falls across part of the planet. The Earth turns underneath while the Moon moves along its orbit, so the shadow sweeps across the surface in a long, curved track. A path map is a drawing of that track.
Most maps have the same layers:
- The center line. This is where the eclipse is deepest and lasts longest.
- The central path. This is the band on either side of the center line. It is often only a small fraction of the map's width, and it is the only place that sees the whole event.
- The partial zone. This is a much larger area, often shaded in bands or drawn with curved lines, where the Moon covers only part of the Sun.
- The outer limit. This is the edge of the partial zone. Beyond it the Sun is not eclipsed at all.
Many maps also mark times along the track. The shadow generally moves from west to east, so places at the western end see the eclipse earlier in their day than places at the eastern end.
Total, annular and partial
The central path does not always mean the same thing. The Moon's distance from Earth changes, so its apparent size changes too.
- Total eclipse. The Moon looks large enough to cover the Sun completely. The central path is called the path of totality.
- Annular eclipse. The Moon looks a little smaller than the Sun and leaves a bright ring around its edge. The central path is the path of annularity.
- Partial eclipse. Everywhere outside the central path sees only part of the Sun covered. Some eclipses have no central path at all and are partial everywhere they can be seen.
A map's legend tells you which kind of eclipse it shows. Check the legend first, because it changes what "inside the path" means.
How much of the Sun it covers from your place
The question most people actually have is local: how much of the Sun will be gone from where I live? The answer depends almost entirely on how far you are from the center line.
| Where you are on the map | What you see |
|---|---|
| On or near the center line | The full total or annular eclipse, lasting longest |
| Inside the central path, near its edge | The full eclipse, but for a shorter time |
| Just outside the central path | A deep partial eclipse, with most of the Sun covered |
| Well out in the partial zone | A smaller bite out of the Sun |
| Beyond the outer limit | No eclipse |
Two numbers come up when people describe a partial eclipse, and they are easy to mix up:
- Magnitude is how far across the Sun's width the Moon reaches.
- Obscuration is how much of the Sun's area is covered.
Because the Sun is a disk, these numbers are different for the same moment. When someone says a certain percentage of the Sun is covered, they usually mean obscuration.
Why a deep partial eclipse is not the same as totality
Being close to the path can feel like enough. It is not the same experience. Even with most of the Sun covered, the uncovered part is still very bright. Daylight may dim or take on an odd quality, but the sky does not go dark the way it does inside the path of totality. If you want the full event, you have to travel into the band.
Reading the map for your own place
- Find your location. Use a town, a ZIP code or a landmark you can pick out on the map.
- Check which zone you are in. Are you inside the central path, in the partial zone, or past the outer limit?
- Read the coverage. In the partial zone, the shaded bands or contour lines show roughly what share of the Sun is covered.
- Look for the time. Many maps mark when the eclipse reaches each area, or when it is deepest there.
- Check the Sun's height. An eclipse that happens near sunrise or sunset is low in the sky, and trees or buildings can block it.
Watching it safely
During every partial phase, look at the Sun only through proper eclipse glasses or a solar filter made for the purpose. Ordinary sunglasses are not enough, and neither is a camera's or phone's viewfinder pointed at the Sun without a filter. This applies to a partial eclipse that covers most of the Sun as much as to one that covers a sliver.
Lunar eclipses use a different kind of map
Lunar eclipse maps look very different. In a lunar eclipse, the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon. Anyone on the night side of the Earth with the Moon above the horizon can see it. So instead of a narrow track, the map shows roughly half the world. You don't need to be in a particular band, only somewhere the Moon is up at the right time.
How GridTicker shows the next eclipse from your place
GridTicker is a live ticker that runs in a browser, on a spare screen, a second monitor or a TV. Its Space ticker includes the sky around you, and eclipses are one feed in it, worked out for your place.
- Solar eclipses. For an eclipse of the Sun that can be seen from your place, the card shows how much of the Sun is covered and a map of the eclipse's path across the world. The map also shows everywhere that sees some of it. The card always says the eclipse is safe to watch only through eclipse glasses.
- Lunar eclipses. For an eclipse of the Moon in the next month, the card shows when and where to look if the Moon is up for it at home. It also shows a map of the half of the world that can see it, with your place marked.
- Your place. On the Space page, type an airport code or use your browser's location. With nothing set there, GridTicker uses your Flights location, and failing that your first weather place.
- The alert. When an eclipse can be seen from home, an alert takes over the screen. It starts ten minutes before the moment, lasts twenty minutes, and says which way to look and how high. A solar eclipse alert says every time to look only through eclipse glasses. You can switch the alert off on its own, and it shows only on screens where the eclipse card is switched on.
Eclipses are their own feed under Space feeds, so you choose which screens show them. To get eclipse cards and alerts for your place, set up a strip at https://app.gridticker.com/signup.