If you saved your protectiveglassesfrom 2017 ’s solar occultation , now ’s the time to dig them out of reposition . A total solar eclipse , the first one visible from Earth in nearly two year , will occur over part ofSouth Americaand the South Pacific onJuly 2 , 2019 .
What is a solar eclipse?
There are several different types of occultation , includinglunar(when the Moon passes beneath our planet ’s shadow ) andannular(when the Sun ’s edges are visible as a gang around the Moon ) . A total occultation is the best - bang and most anticipated of such phenomenon : When the Moon is in the right post in the sky , it dead ordinate with the Earth and the Sun , appearing to entirely block out the Sun from sure advantage head . While fond solar eclipses , in which the Moon only underwrite part of the Sun , can happena few timesa year , total solar occultation are much rare .
Where to Watch the Total Solar Eclipse of 2019
Unlike the last entire solar occultation in 2017 , this next one does n’t fall over the United States . Most of it will be obscured above the Pacific Ocean , but a little plane section of the path of totality will be visible from South America . On Tuesday , July 2 around sundown , people in parts of Chile and Argentina can count to the horizon and see the Moon cross the Sun . The event may be worth the head trip for eclipse chaser : the Andean region where the occultation will take spot is known for its low-down humidity and clear sky at high altitudes .
This particular full eclipse is also notable for its duration . At its peak , totalitywill last four moment and 33 seconds — which outmatch the peak totality of the total solar occultation in 2017 . But to see the Moon block the Sun for that long , sky - gazers will call for to take a gravy holder into the middle of the South Pacific .
