Skywatchers across the Northern Hemisphere are turning their attention to the skies for the August 12 solar eclipse. While observers in Greenland, Iceland, and Western Europe get front-row seats to a total solar eclipse, viewability across the United States depends entirely on location. Because no U.S. state falls within the path of totality, Americans won't witness complete daytime darkness. Instead, observers in select northern and northeastern regions will catch a partial solar eclipse as the Moon passes across a section of the Sun.
On the West Coast, residents in states like California will miss out on the event completely due to time zone alignments and orbital paths. In contrast, Alaska experiences some of the highest partial coverage in the country, with viewers in Fairbanks seeing about 37 percent of the Sun obscured around 8:27 AM local time. Further east, northeastern states can expect mid-afternoon views of the moon taking a partial bite out of the Sun, provided local skies stay clear.
The deepest view in the lower 48 states occurs in Maine, where northern communities like Presque Isle will see up to 28 percent coverage peaking around 1:50 PM Eastern Time. Coverage steadily decreases heading further south along the East Coast. Boston, Massachusetts, will reach a modest 16 percent maximum coverage at 1:55 PM, while skywatchers in New York City will catch a subtle 10 percent shadow near 1:54 PM.
Because the Sun remains partially exposed across all of North America, eye safety is critical; spectators must use ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses or indirect pinhole projection methods at all times to avoid permanent eye damage.
