• Viewing Safely
  • About Eclipses
  • Past Eclipses
Exploratorium

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

  • Viewing Safely
  • About Eclipses
  • Past Eclipses
2020 Total Solar Eclipse Recap with Astronomer Isabel Hawkins
Total Solar Eclipse | 2020 Update
What is a Total Solar Eclipse?
Eyeball Safety during a Solar Eclipse
Solar Eclipse: Hands-On Safe Viewing Techniques
Why Don't We Have an Eclipse Every Month?
How to Build a Sun Viewer
Earth-Sun-Moon Scale Model
Total Solar Eclipse Telescope Highlights - Chile, 2019
REPLAY | Total Solar Eclipse 2019 | Live from Chile

Check back later to count down to our coverage of the 2023 annular solar eclipse visible from North America!

  • Ver partes de este sitio web en Español

 

TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE: Update for 2020

DECEMBER 14, 2020

To keep our staff, our colleagues, and our communities safe during this coronavirus pandemic, the Exploratorium won’t be sending a team to Chile to cover the December 14, 2020 solar eclipse as planned. To catch a potential live stream of the eclipse, please visit the NASA website or the Exploratorium Facebook or YouTube Channel.

We hope to see you again for an annular solar eclipse in 2023—and in the meantime, you can check out our extensive video archives of eclipse science and coverage of past eclipses.


The Exploratorium's eclipse video and mobile app won 2018 Webby Awards and Webbys People's Voice Awards

Our 2017 eclipse livestream video coverage and Total Solar Eclipse mobile app were awarded both the Webby Award and People's Voice Award for Best Film & Video - Events and Live Streams and Best Mobile Sites & Apps - Events categories in the 22nd Annual Webby Awards!

 

2020 Eclipse Path of Totality

The 2020 total solar eclipse will be visible only to those inside the red and blue stripe on this map—an area only about 70 miles wide. Viewers near the stripe, but not inside it, will see a partial solar eclipse.

Viewing Safely

How to Build a Sun Viewer

Check out this D.I.Y. video on how to build your own sun viewer using items that you may have lying around your house.

Eyeball Safety during a Solar Eclipse

It's never safe to look directly at the sun . . . but why not, exactly? Dr. Paul Doherty demonstrates what happens when the lenses in your eyes focus light from the sun on your retinas.

Hands-On Safe Eclipse Viewing Techniques

It's NEVER safe to look directly at the sun, but you can still see what's going on up there—you can cast images of the sun using only a piece of paper and your own hands.

Featured Videos

How to Predict Eclipses

How do we know when an eclipse is going to happen? This video explores how eclipses can be predicted and investigates a repeating series of eclipses known as a Saros cycle.

What is a Total Solar Eclipse?

Join Exploratorium astronomer Isabel Hawkins and Exploratorium educator Liliana Blanco as they explain the celestial mechanics of a total solar eclipse. Through demonstrations, they show how the moon, sun, and Earth align to create the cosmic coincidence that we see as a total solar eclipse. En Español

¿Qué es un eclipse solar?

Únete a la astrónoma del Exploratorium Isabel Hawkins quien junto a la educadora del Exploratorium Liliana Blanco explican los movimientos de los astros durante un eclipse total de sol. A través de demostraciones, ellas muestran cómo la luna, el sol y la Tierra se alinean para crear la coincidencia cósmica que llamamos un eclipse total de sol.

Why Don't We Have an Eclipse Every Month?

Total solar eclipses happen when the moon crosses between the sun and Earth, but Earth doesn't experience a total solar eclipse every month. Exploratorium Senior Scientist Paul Doherty explains why not.

How to Build a Sun Viewer

Check out this D.I.Y. video on how to build your own sun viewer using items that you may have lying around your house.

See more Total Solar Eclipse videos

Featured Articles

How to View a Solar Eclipse

Learn how to view a solar eclipse safely. (En español.)

 

 

 

Turning Light into Sound with Wayne Grim and the Kronos Quartet

by Liz Ball • July 13, 2017

With the help of the world-famous Kronos Quartet, Exploratorium composer Wayne Grim will turn the total solar eclipse on August 21 into a musical performance like no other. Find out how they'll pull it off.


Moon to the Eclipse:
7/8/17 Full Moon

by Eileen Campbell • July 8, 2017

Watch the moon pass through its phases as we count down to the total solar eclipse. Tonight: a full moon.


Moon to the Eclipse:
8/7/17 Full Moon

by Eileen Campbell • August 7, 2017

Watch the moon pass through its phases as we count down to the total solar eclipse. Tonight: a full moon. 


The Exploratorium’s Guide to Eclipse 2017

by Exploratorium Staff • August 30, 2016

On August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will cross the continental United States, from Oregon to South Carolina. Here are a few things you can start doing now to maximize your Eclipse 2017 experience. (En español.)


Guía para ver eclipses del Exploratorium

by Eileen Campbell • July 10, 2017

Para las personas que estarán en la franja de totalidad durante el eclipse, les brindamos algunas indicaciones para que puedan aprovechar al máximo su experiencia.


Why Eclipses Happen

A total solar eclipse is a cosmic coincidence with stunning visual effects for viewers on Earth. What causes this extraordinary phenomenon?

What to See During an Eclipse

As the moon passes in front of the Sun, the eclipse goes through stages that provide an evolving spectacle, two plus hours of steadily changing views. Click on the images to see what you can see. (En español.)

See more Total Solar Eclipse articles

NASA SPONSOR: This livestream was made possible through generous grants from NASA. This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Grant No. NNX16AB96A issued through the Science Education Mission Directorate. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.


PARTNERS & COLLABORATORS: We are proud to work with the following organizations to bring you this livestream: NASA and the Parker Solar Probe mission, Meade Instruments/Coronado, and Magnetic Image Video.

Meade Instruments
Parker Solar Probe
Magnetic Image Video
Exploratorium
Visit
Join
Give

Pier 15
(Embarcadero at Green Street)
San Francisco, CA 94111

(415) 528-4444

More Contact Info

  • Plan Your Visit
  • Buy Tickets
  • Hours
  • Getting Here
  • Calendar
  • Tactile Dome
  • Store
  • About Us
  • Become a Member
  • Donate
  • Event Rentals
  • Jobs
  • Volunteer
  • Press Office

Get at-home activities and learning tools delivered straight to your inbox

© 2020 Exploratorium | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Your California Privacy Rights |