A partial eclipse made landfall on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, the first step in a movement that will make the sun disappear in the daytime through large parts of the United States and Canada.
Across North America on Monday, the moon will materialize and eat into the yellow orb of the sun, casting a shadow over a swath of Earth below, causing a total solar eclipse and reminding all in its path of our planet’s place in the cosmos.
The partial eclipse first made landfall on the continent near Mazatlán, Mexico, at 12:51 p.m. Eastern, where under mostly sunny skies eclipse-seekers are celebrating the celestial spectacle, sipping beer, dancing and singing along to Bad Bunny on the city’s seaside promenade.
It reached the United States at 1:10 p.m., dancing on the edge of Texas, near Eagle Pass, where heavy clouds did not dampen the enthusiasm of dozens of people standing under a large Mexican flag that was visible from the Mexican city that is just over the border, Piedras Negras.
Where the weather cooperates, millions of people will behold the disorienting, disquieting wonder of darkness in daytime. They will experience it in central and northern Mexico and the plains of Texas; throughout the Midwest, New York State and New England; and across pockets of eastern Canada, from the steeples and spires of Montreal to the rugged coastline of Newfoundland.
Behind eclipse glasses or other safe means of viewing the phenomenon, they will watch the moon’s shadow grow until the light is extinguished.
In some places, it will be dim for as long as some four and a half minutes, and in those moments eclipse viewers may gasp. They may shout. They may clap. They may even cry.
We have dozens of reporters and photographers spread out across the path of totality, bringing you live updates as the sun disappears behind the moon. As you prepare for this event to glide into your area, here’s what to know:
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The total eclipse will carve a southwest-to-northeast path, sweeping through San Antonio at 2:33 p.m., Dallas at 2:40 p.m., Little Rock, Ark., at 2:51 p.m., Indianapolis at 3:05 p.m., Cleveland at 3:13 p.m. and Buffalo at 3:18 p.m. Canada will catch its first glimpse of the partial eclipse at 3:12 p.m. Around 3:45 p.m., the Canadian province of Newfoundland will be the last major piece of land to see the total eclipse.
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While the eclipse is most impressive when viewed at totality, hundreds of millions of people may experience a partial eclipse. In Chicago, the sun will be about 94 percent obscured. In Boston, 93 percent. In New York (around 3:25 p.m. Eastern time) and Philadelphia, there will be a 90 percent eclipse.
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Even the most devoted eclipse chasers know that they are at the mercy of the clouds. The New York Times’s weather data team has been tracking the forecast, which showed that nearly everyone along the path in the United States will have at least some chance of clouds obscuring their view. Danger of severe storms also compounded that concern in many parts of Texas. But there were some bright spots on the eclipse path, including Maine and other parts of New England, and optimism expressed for parts of Arkansas through Cleveland.
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In the United States, about 32 million people live along the eclipse’s path, and countless more will be driving toward it (and, eventually, away from it). The authorities are expecting gridlock. Allow extra time, and lots of it.
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It is never safe to look at the sun without protective eyewear. Throughout the partial stage of the eclipse, use eclipse glasses or try to construct a pinhole viewer to observe the shadow over the sun indirectly. It is safe to look at the fully eclipsed sun only for the duration of totality.
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The next opportunity to see a total solar eclipse in the 48 contiguous U.S. states and Canada isn’t until 2044. To see a total eclipse before then, you’ll need to travel abroad.
