The last total solar eclipse to pass over the United States until August 23, 2044, will occur on Monday.
Beginning over the South Pacific Ocean, the total eclipse will be seen near Mazatlán, Mexico, then cross over Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas before heading toward Cleveland, Ohio. It will then pass over Buffalo, New York, northwestern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine before it vanishes from the United States.
The last previous total solar eclipse that Americans saw occurred on August 21, 2017. Monday’s eclipse differs from the previous eclipse in various ways; the path of totality — in which Americans can see the total eclipse rather than a partial eclipse, is much wider as its range extends between 108 and 122 miles wide, rather than from roughly about 62 to 71 miles wide, as it was in 2017. The path is wider because the Moon, whose distance from the Earth varies as it orbits our planet, is closer to the Earth today than in 2017.
Additionally, as NASA explains:
In 2017, the Sun was nearing solar minimum. Viewers of the total eclipse could see the breathtaking corona – but since the Sun was quiet, streamers flowing into the solar atmosphere were restricted to just the equatorial regions of the star. The Sun is more magnetically symmetrical during solar minimum, causing this simpler appearance. During the 2024 eclipse, the Sun will be in or near solar maximum, when the magnetic field is more like a tangled hairball. Streamers will likely be visible throughout the corona. In addition to that, viewers will have a better chance to see prominences – which appear as bright, pink curls or loops coming off the Sun.
Because the sun is nearing solar maximum during Monday’s eclipse, viewers may be able to see sunspots more clearly if they use eclipse glasses.
“When watching the partial phases of the solar eclipse directly with your eyes, which happens before and after totality, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times. You can also use an indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector,” NASA warns.
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The last total eclipse Americans could see before 2017 occurred in 1979. The 2044 eclipse will start over Greenland and be seen only by Americans in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.