Why Tuesday Is A Big Day For NASA, Disneyworld —And Greenland

Exactly 20 years today, a very special total solar eclipse will occur across the U.S. — and bring totality to Disneyworld in Florida. (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Where will you be on Aug. 12, 2045? Exactly 20 years today, a very special total solar eclipse will occur across the U.S. From California to Florida — via 15 U.S. states in total — and beyond, this event will surpass what happened on April 8, 2024, with darkness in the day and the sun’s corona lasting longest in the 21st century in North America. On its way, it will envelop Utah’s Arches National Park, Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, and Disneyworld in darkness — and 91 million people, according to Timeanddate.com.

In a twist of fate, Aug. 12 is also the date of the next total solar eclipse in exactly a year. On Aug. 12, 2026, Greenland, Iceland and Spain will experience totality exactly one Metonic cycle — a 19-year period where the phases of the moon return to the same date of the year — before the “Greatest American Eclipse” on Aug. 12, 2045.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2045 total solar eclipse.

Where The 2045 Total Solar Eclipse Will Be Visible

The track of this eclipse will be 159 miles (256 kilometers) long, beginning in the Pacific Ocean and ending in the South Atlantic Ocean via the U.S., Caribbean and South America. On the way, it will cross California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

It will then bring darkness to the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil.

How Long Will Totality Last During The 2045 Total Solar Eclipse

It all depends on where you watch from. Within any path of totality, it lasts longest on the centerline, but in addition, there’s always a place of maximum eclipse at local midday. That’s simply where the moon is closest to Earth (our planet is curved, remember!).

On Aug. 12, 2045, that place is between Florida and The Bahamas, where an exceptionally long totality of six minutes and 6 seconds will take place — by then, the longest remaining of the 21st century. However, an almost identical 6-minute 4-second totality will be witnessed from Chastain Beach in Stuart, Florida.

Best Places To View The 2045 Total Solar Eclipse

In advance of most total solar eclipses, everyone wants to know where the best places are to watch. Usually, that means where the totality will last longest and where the weather will likely be clear. In 2045, that’s Florida‚ but there are plenty of other choices.

• Mount Shasta, California: 1 minute 17 seconds of totality.
• Reno, Nevada: 2 minutes 49 seconds of totality.
• Great Basin National Park. Nevada: 2 minutes 22 seconds of totality.
• Salt Lake City, Utah: 1 minute 26 seconds of totality.
• Arches National Park, Utah: 4 minutes 15 seconds of totality.
• Colorado Springs, Colorado: 5 minutes 6 seconds of totality.
• Pikes Peak, Colorado: 5 minutes 10 seconds of totality.
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: 3 minutes 12 seconds of totality.
• Tulsa, Oklahoma: 5 minutes 37 seconds of totality.
• Tallahassee, Florida: 5 minutes 50 seconds of totality.
• Tampa, Florida: 4 minutes 58 seconds of totality.
• Orlando, Florida: 5 minutes 46 seconds of totality.
• Disneyworld, Orlando: 6 minutes 2 seconds of totality.
• Kissimmee Prairie State Park, Florida: 5 minutes 58 seconds of totality.
• Kennedy Space Center, Florida: 4 minutes 20 seconds of totality.
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida: 4 minutes 37 seconds of totality.
• Miami, Florida: 2 minutes 28 seconds of totality.

The Next Total Solar Eclipse

The next total solar eclipse is on Aug. 12, 2026, when Greenland, Iceland, and Spain will witness a maximum 2-minute, 18-second totality.

In Iceland, the western tip of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Reykjavik, the capital city, are two great places to witness the event, though most will visit northern Spain, where skies are likely clear, though the eclipse will happen dangerously close to sunset, so be positioned low in the sky. There will also be a bevy of cruise ships in Greenland’s Scoresby Sund.

The Next ‘Great American’ Total Solar Eclipse

The next total solar eclipse in the contiguous U.S. will occur on Aug. 22, 2044, when Greenland, Canada’s Northwest Territories, South Dakota and North Dakota will witness a maximum of 2 minutes and 4 seconds totality. However, it’s mostly a “Great Canadian Eclipse,” with the Dakotas only seeing an eclipsed sunset. Expect big crowds in Jasper National Park and Banff National Park in Canada.

Disclaimer: I am the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and the author of When Is The Next Eclipse? A traveler’s guide to total solar eclipses 2026-2034.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.