Best time to watch the solar eclipse in Sacramento? Here’s when to look up

Hanh Truong
·2 min read

Sacramento will be witness to a rare astronomical event on Monday: a partial solar eclipse.

The moon will fully block the sun as it passes over a significant swatch of Mexico, the United States and Canada, according to NASA.

“It will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044,” NASA said, although only some areas will see the full eclipse.

Mexico’s Pacific Coast will be the first location in North America to see a total solar eclipse, at 11 a.m. Monday.

The path of totality will then sweep up the United states, traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

The eclipse will end in Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. local time — or 12:46 p.m. Pacific Time.

Anay Lankalapalli, 7, of Sacramento, watches the rare annular solar eclipse Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, at an event hosted at Sacramento State’s planetarium. Anay watched with his family and friends from the Brookfield School while the partial eclipse was intermittently visible through drifting clouds across the Northern California skies. Xavier Mascareñas/The Sacramento Bee

When can I see the solar eclipse in Sacramento?

Parts of the United States will get to see a total solar eclipse on Monday, while many California spots will get a partial view.

“We can only expect about 35% coverage of the sun, even at the peak,” said Kyle Watters, a professor of physics and astronomy at Sacramento State.

Watters said the moon will cover a sliver of the sun at around 10:15 a.m. and will reach its maximum coverage around 11:15 a.m. It’ll leave the sun and end the partial eclipse around 12:15 p.m.

“It’s going to be our last chance to see a solar eclipse from here in Sacramento for quite a while,” Watters said.

If you plan to watch, Watters warns that the sun will never be safe to look without protection . He advises people to wear eclipse glasses or viewers when watching the Great North American Eclipse in Sacramento.

Check out our graphic for the best time to see the eclipse in the capital city.