Total Solar Eclipse in Maine

On Monday, April 8, 2024, Maine will experience a total solar eclipse!

The times and ability to view the eclipse will vary depending on your location, but you can watch an animation that shows you where totality can be experienced and at what time throughout Maine.

The eclipse’s path will cross into Maine at around 2:18 p.m. with totality phase starting at 3:28 p.m. EDT and ending at 3:35 p.m. EDT. The eclipse path will cross over the Canadian border at 4:41 p.m.

Don’t look at the eclipse unless you have proper safety glasses. You will want special eclipse glasses that conform to the ISO 12312-2 international standard. Regular sunglasses don’t offer the same protection as eclipse glasses conforming to the ISO 12312-2 standard. To learn more about eclipse safety, click here.

Thousands of people are expected to visit various cities and towns across the state to watch, especially in Aroostook County where the eclipse will develop last and be seen longest.

An eclipse happens when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned, changing how the sun and moon appear to us. The first known record of an eclipse is from 3340 B.C. on circular stone carvings in Meath, Ireland. A total eclipse happens every year and a half but only happens an average of once every 360 years over the same location!