Experience the Magic: Witness a Partial Solar Eclipse at Sunrise Today—Here’s Your Guide to Viewing!

Mark your calendar: A solar eclipse is set to cast shadows across the northeastern United States and Canada early on Saturday morning. In contrast to the “Great American Eclipse” in 2024, this event will not present a total eclipse. Instead, it will be a partial eclipse observable in specific regions of the northern hemisphere.

Although it won’t feature the breathtaking «totality» characteristic of the 2024 event, a partial eclipse is still a sight to behold. The sun will not be entirely hidden, but with the right eye protection, spectators will witness the moon seemingly nibbling away at the sun. There’s a twist, creating an opportunity: This eclipse will coincide with sunrise in North America, so the sun will be just marginally above the horizon. This timing provides a unique chance to observe the recognizable “devil horns”—a crescent of solar light appearing from behind the moon.

When can you witness this partial solar eclipse and its «devil horns»? Let’s explore how to safely experience this astronomical event.

Which regions will observe the partial solar eclipse, and at what times?

The partial solar eclipse will be visible across various locations in the northern hemisphere. It will be observable at sunrise in eastern North America and at sunset in Siberia, Russia, on Saturday, March 29. In Europe, viewers can catch it around mid-morning. However, the eclipse’s reach will be limited: Regions west of Toronto, Canada, and Washington, DC, in North America will not see any eclipse.

This map of the partial solar eclipse provided by NASA could be a bit perplexing, but here’s how to interpret it. The yellow curve indicates the path of the partial solar eclipse, traversing from west to east. The lighter yellow curves represent the percentage obscuration of the sun. (This means that the extent to which the moon covers the sun varies based on your location and time of observation.)

Most of Europe will witness approximately a 20 percent obscuration (with Greenland and Iceland being exceptions), whereas the extreme northeastern part of the United States will experience up to 89 percent coverage of the sun. The Nunavik area in Quebec will see a maximum obscuration of 94 percent. The green lines on the map indicate the timeline of the eclipse’s progression. Times are presented in UTC, which is four hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time.

Nevertheless, sunrise and sunset complicate matters further. This is illustrated on the map by the orange loop. The left portion of the loop (over the Great Lakes region in the United States) signifies where the eclipse concludes at sunrise. Thus, areas west of that orange line will not see the eclipse. The right side of the loop indicates where the eclipse commences at sunrise.

To witness the maximum partial solar eclipse at sunrise, it’s advisable to position yourself along the blue line that runs through the center of the orange loop. (It’s essential to mention that the eclipse will also be observable across a narrow section of Siberia, but at sunset rather than sunrise — that’s reflected in the opposite section of the orange loop).

This might seem quite confusing, and indeed it is. Some locations experiencing maximum obscuration will have a shorter duration of the eclipse because the partial eclipse starts before sunrise. Additionally, in North America, the sun will be low on the horizon, so observers must find spots above tall trees with an unobstructed view of the sunrise. In Europe, finding good viewing locations will be simpler since the sun will be higher in the sky — though it will be less obscured.

For instance, in Bar Harbor, Maine, the sun will rise at 6:19 AM, and the peak of the eclipse will occur at 6:22 AM, obscuring 80 percent of the sun. The partial eclipse will wrap up at 7:11 AM. Technically, the eclipse will start at 5:26 AM ET, but as that’s before sunrise, Mainers will lose almost half of their possible viewing time for the eclipse.

Traveling south, the best views will be from coastal New England, extending down through Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. The path effectively concludes in Washington, DC, where just 1.2 percent of the sun will be obscured at 6:59 AM ET.

As per Time and Date, approximately 44,800 individuals will witness a 90 percent partial eclipse, while 3,820,000 people will observe an 80 percent partial eclipse. That pales in comparison to the 30 million individuals who will be positioned in the path of totality during the total solar eclipse in 2024.

Will there be a total solar eclipse visible in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?

No, there won’t be any location on Earth where a total solar eclipse can be seen during this occurrence. For a solar eclipse to take place, the sun, the moon, and the Earth must be aligned perfectly. However, since the moon’s orbit deviates from the plane of the sun and the Earth, eclipses are infrequent.

A partial solar eclipse, like the upcoming one on March 29, occurs when the moon is positioned between the sun and the Earth but isn’t aligned perfectly. Consequently, the sun takes on a crescent form—resembling a bit of the sun missing—yet it will never be completely concealed as is the case during a total eclipse.

What is the duration of the partial eclipse?

The observable length of the eclipse varies by location and the specific time of sunrise (or sunset). Nonetheless, on a global scale, the eclipse is set to start at 4:50 AM ET (8:50 AM UTC). The peak will occur at 6:47 AM ET (10:47 AM UTC), concluding at 8:43 AM ET (12:43 PM UTC). However, this doesn’t indicate that the entire partial eclipse will last nearly four hours in any particular location, as this is typically for the extremes of the event.

What’s the weather outlook along the viewing path?

Spring has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, which often brings challenging conditions for sky observation. According to the Weather Channel’s senior digital meteorologist Chris Dolce, cloudy skies, and possibly rain or snow could be in store for the northeastern United States during the eclipse, which is not the best news.

If it’s merely a partial eclipse, is eye protection necessary?

Any activity involving direct observation of the sun, even if only 5 or 10 percent visible, requires protective eyewear. Exposure to sunlight can swiftly and painfully harm your retinas, often resulting in irreversible damage.

If you have any solar viewers left from the 2024 eclipse, and they remain undamaged, they’ll work well for this occurrence as well. According to the American Astronomical Society (AAS), modern eclipse glasses do not have an expiration date. However, it’s advisable to inspect them carefully to ensure there are no rips, tears, or scratches on the lenses and that the filters and lenses are intact on the frame.

Purchasing solar eclipse glasses at the last moment can be challenging, so it’s wise to keep some handy. However, if you’ve discarded or donated your previous pair (or didn’t get any at all), you can order them online—just make sure to proceed with caution. Ensure any solar viewers you acquire comply with the ISO 12312-2:2015(E) international safety standard, and validate the manufacturer against this list from the AAS. Counterfeit eclipse glasses were widespread leading up to the 2024 eclipse.

Celestron is a trustworthy manufacturer of solar viewing products, and its eclipse glasses are easily accessible on Amazon for an affordable price (though at this point, you may want to stock up for the forthcoming eclipses, a majority of which are better suited for viewing from the southern hemisphere).

What interesting phenomena should I look for during this eclipse?

A captivating aspect of solar eclipses occurring during sunrise is the potential visibility of the iconic “devil horns,” which varies by location. When the sun rises amid an eclipse (thus being lower on the horizon), the crescent shape of the sun can resemble devil horns emerging from the ground.

Maine, New Brunswick, and Quebec (along the blue line on the NASA map) are ideal locations to view this effect.

Moreover, the sun is currently at or near solar maximum, meaning it is at the highest point of its 11-year solar cycle. Experts discovered that the sun reached its peak solar activity in October 2024, and this condition will persist for about a year. This implies that sunspots may be observable on the sun’s surface around the time of the eclipse. (For context, this is what the sun looks like today, shared by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.) If you possess solar binoculars or a solar telescope, spotting them will be considerably easier.

Is it safe to just point a telescope or camera towards the sun?

If you find yourself pondering this, you likely already know the answer: Absolutely not! Not without a solar filter. Whether you’re using a phone camera, binoculars, a telescope, or a mirrorless camera, the sun can severely damage this type of equipment. (On Apollo 12, astronaut Alan Bean inadvertently pointed a television camera at the sun, causing irreparable damage. Avoid this!)

You can obtain solar filters at a camera store or online, or in a pinch, you can adapt your existing solar viewers. Just detach the film and tape it over your smartphone camera, but ensure you don’t gaze at the sun while directing the camera unless you’re also wearing solar viewers. If you’re inclined to look at the sun regularly, a pair of solar binoculars with a permanently attached filter is a fantastic investment.