Telha
If the thrill of witnessing totality during the April 8 total solar eclipse leaves you yearning for more celestial spectacles, you’ll have quite the wait ahead.
“Solar eclipses are like potato chips — once you’ve experienced one, you crave more,” explained Fred Espenak, a former astrophysicist from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and author of “Road Atlas for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024,” in an interview with ABC News.
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“Each eclipse offers its own unique and exhilarating experience,” Espenak added. “It’s truly one of the most spectacular natural phenomena visible to the naked eye.”
However, the next opportunity to witness a total solar eclipse in the contiguous U.S. won’t come until August 23, 2044, and it will only cast its shadow over three states: Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, according to NASA.
If you can’t bear the thought of waiting two decades for another chance to experience totality, there’s good news. Another total solar eclipse is scheduled to take place in Europe in 2026.
On August 12, 2026, the eclipse will sweep across the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, Iceland, the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal, and northern Spain, as reported by the National Solar Observatory.
“Witnessing a total solar eclipse is an incredibly emotional experience for anyone,” noted Zeiler. “And inevitably, the first question that comes to mind after the eclipse is: When is the next one? You may find yourself eager to witness the upcoming eclipse in Spain in 2026.”
