The total solar eclipse in North America on April 8 2024 is one of the biggest astronomy events of the year, and you’ll be able to watch the whole thing online.
Around 32 million people live inside the path of totality for the 2024 April solar eclipse.
This means 32 million people will be able to witness the full total solar eclipse from their own neighbourhood, while everyone else observing in North America will observe a partial solar eclipse instead.
The length of totality – how long the Sun is fully eclipsed for – during the April 8 eclipse differs depending on where you are observing from, but peaks at 4 minutes and 27 seconds.
If you’re not going to be in North America for the eclipse, or if you’re not able to step outside and view it on the day (or if it’s clouded over!), there are numerous places you can watch online.
Find out more with our facts about the April 8 eclipse
Watch the April 8 total solar eclipse online
NASA
NASA will seem like the obvious place to turn if you want to watch the April 8 eclipse online, and the agency is hosting two streams via NASA TV and its YouTube page.
You can watch the Official Broadcast for build-up and interviews with eclipse experts, with the chance to use the #askNASA hashtag to submit your questions for them to be answered live.
And NASA is also hosting a clean telescope feed of the solar eclipse, if you just want to have an uninterrupted view of the event.
Time and date
Timeanddate.com is hosting a livestream on YouTube, which will offer live views of the solar eclipse as well as a live blog with real-time progress reports and background information on all the action during the event.
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium science centre in San Francisco, California is hosting a few livestreams of the April 8 eclipse.
It’s hosting a stream through telescopes in Torreón, Mexico that will run without commentary or interruptions.
Another livestream offers a view of the eclipse through telescopes in Junction, Texas, accompanied by sonification (music only, without commentary or interruptions).
There’s also live coverage of the eclipse from Junction, Texas (see stream above).
And if you want to watch the April 8 eclipse live online in Spanish, Exploratorium has a livestream for that, too.
When is the next total solar eclipse?
The next major total solar eclipse will occur on 12 August 2026 across Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain.
For more info, read our guide to find out when the next eclipse is happening.
Are you travelling to see the eclipse? Or are you based in the US and hosting an eclipse event? Let us know by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com.