The Moon is getting ready to squeeze its way in front of our view of the Sun, partially blocking the star’s disc to create a rare view in the morning skies.
A partial solar eclipse will take place on Saturday, March 29, and will be visible throughout most of North America, Europe, as well as some parts of North and West Africa, and Northern Asia. Although it won’t be a total solar eclipse like the one that blocked our view of the Sun on April 8, 2024, the partial solar eclipse will grace our skies with a crescent-shaped Sun over the horizon.
During a partial solar eclipse, the Moon passes in front of the Sun as seen from Earth, but the central part of its shadow—known as the umbra—misses the planet, according to NASA. That’s because the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not perfectly lined up.
Instead, the Moon’s larger, fuzzy outer shadow, called the penumbra, falls on Earth, causing the Sun to appear partially obscured. A total solar eclipse is when the Moon’s umbra results in lights out on Earth along the path of totality.
When is the partial solar eclipse?
The partial solar eclipse will begin at 4:50 a.m. ET on Saturday, and will peak at 6:47 a.m. ET, according to timeanddate.com. However, it will begin at different times in different locations.
As noted, the eclipse will be partial for everyone in the Moon’s shadow. Looking at the NASA eclipse map above, the curved yellow lines show the percentage of the Sun that will be covered at peak eclipse in each location, while green lines mark when that maximum coverage happens. The orange loops show where the eclipse coincides with sunrise or sunset (left is sunrise, right is sunset), while blue shows where maximum eclipse will occur right at sunrise or sunset.
In most of North America, the partial solar eclipse will have already begun before the Sun begins to rise. Viewers looking at the eclipse from some parts of North America could be treated to a rare sight of “solar horns,” where the tips of the eclipsed Sun crescent are turned upwards as the star rises above the horizon, appearing as a pair of devil horns. The solar horns can be seen from locations in southeastern Quebec and southwest New Brunswick in Canada and in northern Maine in the U.S., according to Space.com.
In western Europe and northwestern Africa, the eclipse will begin in the mid- to late morning while in eastern Europe and northern Asia, the eclipse will mostly occur in the afternoon or early evening, according to NASA.
As seen in the map, the shadow of the Moon moves from west to east. That’s because the Moon orbits in the same direction as the rotation of Earth, although it travels twice as fast. The chart below shows timings for key U.S. cities and the extent of the eclipse in terms of percentage of the Sun that’ll be obscured. You can refer to this map to find out when the partial solar eclipse will take place at your location.
The partial eclipse will end at 8:43 a.m. ET for viewers at the last location to see it.
How to watch the partial solar eclipse
As with the total solar eclipse, you must protect your eyes while gazing up at the Sun when it is partially blocked. You must use certified eclipse glasses, or solar viewing glasses, when looking directly at the Sun, and you cannot look through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other device while wearing eclipse glasses, NASA warns. Instead, a special solar filter must be attached to the front of any optical device.
The Sun’s next big event will be on August 12, 2026, when a total solar eclipse will take over the skies in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and a small area of Portugal, while a partial eclipse will be visible in Europe, Africa, North America, the Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Pacific Ocean.
