On Wednesday, millions around the world will look to the skies to witness a rare total solar eclipse. The sight will dazzle much of Europe and parts of North America, but residents in the Golden State won't be able to see it from home.
The total eclipse will be visible in parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, Spain, and a small part of Portugal, while a partial eclipse will be visible from 26 states on the East Coast and Midwest. Though it will not be visible in the California sky, Californians can still log onto watch a live NASA broadcast of the eclipse, which will include views across the path and subject matter experts.
Watch the eclipse here live starting at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday:
Coverage will be streamed on Netflix, X, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and NASA + starting at 10:15 a.m. PT. The eclipse will take place from 8:34 a.m. to 12:58 p.m. PT, with maximum eclipse taking place at around 10:46 a.m. PT.
Starting near the North Pole before tracking south, totality will last up to two minutes and 18 seconds, an appetizer for an even longer solar show next year — a 6 ½-minute extravaganza that will sweep from Spain to North Africa and the Middle East.
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It will take 1 ½ hours for the umbra, or moon's sun-blocking shadow, to race along the 5,130-mile (8,260-kilometer) course, most of it over an empty Atlantic. Maximum totality will occur off Iceland's west coast. By the time it reaches a small patch of Portugal and then Spain with its massive crowds, totality will have dwindled to a minute or so. The spectacle will end in the Mediterranean.
Adding to the cosmic wonder, the day begins with six of our neighboring planets forming an arc in the sky before dawn and end with the Perseid meteor shower peaking after nightfall under the new moon. Streaking meteors could photobomb totality, with some of the brighter planets and stars visible in the background.
"For me, it's not just a scientific moment. It's not just an incredible alignment of heavenly bodies. It's also a very human moment," said the European Space Agency's director of science Carole Mundell. "It's a real human connection between us with our feet planted on the Earth and the cosmos."
U.S. college research teams are also pitching in, launching more than 60 high-altitude balloons from Spain and Iceland to study Earth's atmosphere and other changes during the eclipse when the temperature momentarily drops. They launched 10 times as many balloons during the 2024 total solar eclipse that captivated North America.
"A couple of minutes isn't a lot of time, but it's still plenty to affect the atmosphere and to make that cold, dark shadow of the moon on Earth," said Montana State University's Angela Des Jardins, who leads the NASA-funded balloon project.
Southwest Research Institute's Amir Caspi also expects a scientific bonanza from his study aboard a NASA high-altitude plane. Four cameras will record the corona in nine wavelengths as the jet chases the eclipse at 460 mph (740 kph), extending totality to nearly three minutes in the air. Caspi anticipates thousands of images gathered from each camera during those precious 180 seconds.
"It's true the eclipse is short, but it's still incredibly valuable," he said.
More California News:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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