Solar eclipses in 2029: four partials and no totality anywhere.
2029 has four solar eclipses, the most any year can hold, and every one of them is partial. The Moon's shadow misses Earth's surface each time, so no place on the planet sees a total or annular eclipse in 2029. Two of the four are deep, covering close to 90 percent of the Sun's diameter for the best-placed observers: January 14 over North and Central America, and December 5 over the far south of Argentina and Chile. The other two are shallow and mostly over the Arctic and the southern ocean. This page gives the UTC instant and depth of each, who sees it, and where the year's two total lunar eclipses fit in.
When are the solar eclipses in 2029?
| Date | Greatest eclipse (UTC) | Magnitude | Where the partial phase is visible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Jan 14, 2029 | 17:13 | 0.871 | North America, Central America |
| Tue, Jun 12, 2029 | 04:05 | 0.458 | Arctic, Scandinavia, Alaska, northern Asia, northern Canada |
| Wed, Jul 11, 2029 | 15:36 | 0.230 | southern Chile, southern Argentina |
| Wed, Dec 5, 2029 | 15:03 | 0.891 | southern Argentina, southern Chile, Antarctica |
Magnitude is the fraction of the Sun's diameter covered at the point of greatest eclipse. Everywhere else sees less. Source: NASA Goddard eclipse catalog, Terrestrial Time converted to UTC.
What does the January 14, 2029 eclipse look like from North America?
This is the one most people will see. Greatest eclipse is at 17:13 UTC, which is midday to early afternoon across the continent: about 12:13 Eastern, 11:13 Central, 10:13 Mountain, 09:13 Pacific. The point of greatest eclipse, where 87 percent of the Sun's diameter is covered, lies in the far north; the fraction falls off toward the south, but a large bite out of the Sun is visible from Canada, the whole of the United States, Mexico, and Central America. It is a Sunday, the Sun is fairly low in the winter sky, and every minute of it needs certified eclipse glasses or a projection method. There is no safe moment to look directly, because the Sun is never fully covered.
Who sees the December 5, 2029 eclipse?
Almost nobody, which is a pity for a deep one. Greatest eclipse at 15:03 UTC covers 89 percent of the Sun's diameter, but the point where that happens is over Antarctica, and the only inhabited places inside the partial zone are the far south of Argentina and Chile, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, where it falls in the early afternoon local time. Research stations on the Antarctic Peninsula get the deepest view.
What about June 12 and July 11?
The June 12 eclipse, greatest at 04:05 UTC with 46 percent of the Sun's diameter covered, is an Arctic event. Northern Scandinavia, northern Russia, Alaska, and northern Canada see a partial eclipse around local midnight sun or early morning, depending on longitude. The July 11 eclipse is the shallowest of the year, 23 percent at greatest, visible only from the far south of Chile and Argentina in the mid afternoon. Neither is worth travelling for.
Why are there four solar eclipses and no total one?
Eclipses happen when a new moon falls near one of the two points where the Moon's orbit crosses the plane of Earth's orbit. Those crossing points drift, and in some years the geometry puts a new moon near a crossing twice in a row about a month apart, each eclipse shallow because neither new moon is quite at the node. 2029 does that at both nodes, which is how a year gets four solar eclipses. The shadow's central cone misses Earth in every case, sweeping past over the poles, so the eclipses are partial from everywhere. Years with four partials also tend to carry two total lunar eclipses, because the full moons between those new moons land close to the nodes, and 2029 does exactly that.
Which 2029 eclipses are actually worth seeing?
The lunar ones. The total lunar eclipse of June 26, 2029 is the deepest and longest of the decade, 1 hour 42 minutes of totality visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The total lunar eclipse of December 20, 2029 gives 54 minutes of totality to the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Both need no glasses and no travel. For a total solar eclipse the next chances are July 22, 2028 over Australia and New Zealand and November 25, 2030 over southern Africa and Australia.
Quick answers.
Is there a total solar eclipse in 2029?
No. All four solar eclipses of 2029 are partial. The nearest total eclipses are July 22, 2028 (Australia, New Zealand) and November 25, 2030 (southern Africa, Australia).
When is the 2029 solar eclipse in the United States?
Sunday, January 14, 2029, around midday: greatest eclipse at 17:13 UTC, which is 12:13 Eastern and 09:13 Pacific. It is partial everywhere, up to about 87 percent coverage in the far north, so eclipse glasses are required throughout.
How many eclipses are there in 2029 in total?
Six: four partial solar eclipses and two total lunar eclipses, on June 26 and December 20.