When Is the Next Eclipse?

You saw totality, you're hooked, and you need another eclipse fix — fast.

If you’re counting down the days until your next dance with darkness, you will need both patience and a penchant for southern hemisphere travel.

Here are the dates, the places, and the travel options.

The Great South American Eclipse #1 – July 2, 2019

South Pacific, Argentina, Chile

After the excitement of the Great American Eclipse, there’s a long wait until the next total solar eclipse. This time South America gets the honors when the Moon’s shadow sweeps across Chile and Argentina just before sunset on July 2, 2019.

Totality crosses some huge observatories in Chile's Elqui Valley — a sublime area for stargazing — as well as Argentina's traditional ranching region, the Pampas. The valley has fabulous stargazing-themed hotels. Before it hits land it passes close to the remote Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific; luxury cruises are already being offered. Like in 2017, totality lasts a couple of minutes.

The Great South American Eclipse #2: Dec. 14, 2020

South Pacific, Argentina, Chile

Chile and Argentina get another view of an eclipsed Sun just 18 months later when totality again sweeps across both countries, but this time much further south. The Sun will be about 70° high in the sky over South America, with the most attractive place to visit being the Chilean Lake District, especially around Villarica and Pucón in fabulous hiking/touring/boating country. Bariloche in Argentina is only just south of the track, and a hugely attractive place to visit, eclipse or no eclipse. Totality again lasts about two minutes.

The Antarctican Eclipse: Dec. 4, 2021

Antarctica

Are you partial to penguins? At under 2 minutes, this eclipse is short and precarious despite occurring in the Antarctic summer — and likely hugely expensive. An expedition to Antarctica can cost $50,000 or more.

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You should be able to find a trip to Union Glacier Base Camp, a private facility that can take a Boeing 747, and run by Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions. Trips to the South Pole from there are a no-brainer. Other options include a cruise ship situated south of South Georgia, or a special eclipse flight from Punta Arenas, Chile, which would cost around $5,000 apiece.

The Western Australian Eclipse: April 8, 2023

Western Australia, Timor Leste, West Papua

Australia and New Zealand will see no less than five total solar eclipses in 20 years. The first in 2023 is one of three in six years, but barely; just a minute of totality will graze Western Australia, touching land over Exmouth Peninsula. However, this area is a prime tourism destination for another reason. Between March and September — so coinciding with the eclipse — the enormous Ningaloo Reef offshore is the best place in the world to swim with 40ft whalesharks, the world’s biggest fish.

The Great (North) American Eclipse #2: April 8, 2024

Mexico, United States, Canada

Talk about a celestial jackpot. The fact that another total solar eclipse sweeps across the U.S. in just seven years is incredible, and it’s even more so for southern Illinois. The Carbondale area once again gets to experience something that statistically only happens in the same place every 350 years.

Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, New York, and Vermont will all experience a totality that this time lasts over 4 minutes. This time Mexico (Durango and Coahuila) and Canada (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland) also get to join in. The bad news? It’s on a Monday again.

The Atlantic Eclipse: Aug. 12, 2026

Iceland, Spain

There are two options for this eclipse, and both sound awesome. The first is to base yourself in Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital city, and travel to the Reykjanes Peninsular nearby (actually where Keflavik International Airport is). There you can experience 1 minute 44 seconds of totality while submersed in the geothermal heated waters of the famous Blue Lagoon, or from the ‘Bridge Between Continents’ that straddles a fissure in the Mid Atlantic Ridge, one of the world's major plate boundaries, which divides North America and Europe.

Or you can visit Northern Spain: Madrid and Barcelona just miss out, but the holiday island of Mallorca gets an eclipse at sunset for for 1 minute 36 seconds, which could be spectacular.

The North African Eclipse: Aug. 2, 2027

Spain, North Africa, and Arabian Peninsula

If you only ever travel to see one more total solar eclipse, make it this one. Not only does totality cross Andalusia in Spain (Cadiz, Marbella, and Malaga) and Tangier in Morocco, but it also calls in at Tunisia and Egypt. In Tunisia, it passes over Tozeur and Sidi Bouhlel, which doubled as Tatooine in Star Wars, but it saves the best for Egypt.

The point of greatest eclipse — a whopping 6 minutes 23 seconds — is over the Valley of the Kings at Luxor. A sure-fire clear sky above the photogenic Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut will make it a honeypot site for excited eclipse-chasers.

Jamie Carter is the author of “When Is The Next Eclipse?” and “The Great South American Eclipse Travel Guide” for July 2, 2019.