The total phase of this total solar eclipse was visible from a narrow path spanning all across the USA from the West Coast to the East Coast (see map and local times below), weather permitting.
9 reasons why this eclipse was noteworthy
In the surrounding areas, which include all of mainland United States and Canada, the total eclipse 2017 was a partial solar eclipse.
Watch the recorded stream of the eclipse
Was this Total Solar Eclipse visible in Washington DC?
Where the Eclipse Was Seen
Try our new interactive eclipse maps. Zoom in and search for accurate eclipse times and visualizations for any location.
Path of the Eclipse Shadow
Regions that saw, at least, a partial eclipse: North/West Europe, North in Asia, North/West Africa, North America, Much of South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic.
Was this eclipse visible in Washington DC?
Eclipse Shadow Path
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The dark areas symbolize night and twilight.
3D Eclipse Animation
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The dark areas symbolize night and twilight.
Note: The animation follows the eclipse shadow from west to east, its point of view moving around the planet at a greater speed than Earth's rotation. If you don't take into account this rapid change of perspective, it may look like Earth is spinning in the wrong direction.
Eclipse Start & End: Local Time for US States
The eclipse began over the Pacific Ocean at 15:46 UTC, which corresponds to 8:46 am Pacific Time. Yaquina Head Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon was the first location on continental US soil to see totality. The partial phase of the eclipse started here at 9:04 am local time, totality occurred at 10:15 am. Other places on the coast of Oregon did not have to wait much longer for the onset of the eclipse. For example, in Lincoln City, Oregon just west of Salem, the partial and total phases of the eclipse started less than 20 seconds later than at Yaquina Head.
Where Was It Visible First and Last?
From here, the Moon's central shadow moved inland. The following table shows when the Moon started to move in front of the Sun and the moment it completely covers the Sun, as seen from some locations along the central path of the eclipse. All times are local.
| Location | Partial Eclipse Begins | Sun Completely Obscured |
|---|---|---|
| Salem, OR | 09:05 am PDT | 10:18 am PDT |
| Idaho Falls, ID | 10:15 am MDT | 11:33 am MDT |
| Casper, WY | 10:22 am MDT | 11:43 am MDT |
| Lincoln, NE | 11:37 am CDT | 1:03 pm CDT |
| Sabetha, KS | 11:38 am CDT | 1:05 pm CDT |
| Jefferson City, MO | 11:46 am CDT | 1:14 pm CDT |
| Carbondale, IL | 11:52 am CDT | 1:21 pm CDT |
| Hopkinsville, KY | 11:56 am CDT | 1:25 pm CDT |
| Nashville, TN | 11:58 am CDT | 1:28 pm CDT |
| Talulah Falls, GA | 1:07 pm EDT | 2:37 pm EDT |
| Columbia, SC | 1:13 pm EDT | 2:43 pm EDT |
| Charleston, SC | 1:16 pm EDT | 2:47 pm EDT |
Please note that this list includes only a small selection of locations where the total eclipse was visible. You can look up more locations in our Eclipse Database or via the Eclipse Map.
See Eclipse Map for local info
Maximum Point: Best Location to View the Eclipse
The maximum point of the eclipse took place near Hopkinsville, Kentucky at 18:20 UTC, which is 1:20 pm local time. Here, totality lasted for 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
Look for Baily's Beads & Diamond Ring!
Did You Know? This was the First Total Solar Eclipse in USA Since 1979
This was the first total eclipse of the Sun visible from the contiguous United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) since February 26, 1979. The last time a total eclipse was visible from coast to coast was on June 8, 1918.
When the Eclipse Happened Worldwide — Timeline
The eclipse started at one location and ended at another. The times below are actual times (in UTC) when the eclipse occurred.
| Event | UTC Time | Time in Washington DC* |
|---|---|---|
| First location to see the partial eclipse begin | Aug 21 at 15:46:51 | Aug 21 at 11:46:51 am |
| First location to see the full eclipse begin | Aug 21 at 16:48:35 | Aug 21 at 12:48:35 pm |
| Maximum Eclipse | Aug 21 at 18:25:36 | Aug 21 at 2:25:36 pm |
| Last location to see the full eclipse end | Aug 21 at 20:02:34 | Aug 21 at 4:02:34 pm |
| Last location to see the partial eclipse end | Aug 21 at 21:04:22 | Aug 21 at 5:04:22 pm |
* These local times do not refer to a specific location but indicate the beginning, peak, and end of the eclipse on a global scale, each line referring to a different location. Please note that the local times for Washington DC are meant as a guideline in case you want to view the eclipse via a live webcam. They do not mean that the eclipse is necessarily visible there.
Eclipse calculations usually accurate to a few seconds.
Eclipses visible in Washington DC.
Next Total Solar Eclipse will be on Jul 2, 2019.
How Many People Can See This Eclipse?
| Number of People Seeing... | Number of People* | Fraction of World Population |
|---|---|---|
| Any part of the eclipse | 1,010,000,000 | 12.88% |
| At least 10% partial | 783,000,000 | 9.91% |
| At least 20% partial | 713,000,000 | 9.03% |
| At least 30% partial | 539,000,000 | 6.83% |
| At least 40% partial | 468,000,000 | 5.92% |
| At least 50% partial | 420,000,000 | 5.33% |
| At least 60% partial | 377,000,000 | 4.78% |
| At least 70% partial | 292,000,000 | 3.70% |
| At least 80% partial | 171,000,000 | 2.18% |
| At least 90% partial | 87,200,000 | 1.10% |
| Totality or annularity | 12,600,000 | 0.16% |
* The number of people refers to the resident population (as a round number) in areas where the eclipse is visible. timeanddate has calculated these numbers using raw population data provided by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University. The raw data is based on population estimates from the year 2000 to 2020.
An Eclipse Never Comes Alone!
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse.
Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season.
This is the second eclipse this season.
First eclipse this season: August 7, 2017 — Partial Lunar Eclipse