A total solar eclipse captivated North America in April of 2024. Millions of people watched as daylight plunged into darkness. A luminous, almost otherworldly ring replaced the familiar view of the Sun. Totality had arrived. But just how common is such an experience? How frequently do total solar eclipses occur, and are there places on Earth more prone to eclipses than others?
Fortunately, like many other dynamics of our solar system, eclipses can be calculated. The motions of Earth and the Moon in relationship to the Sun are known. With these orbits in hand—and some clever mathematics—the positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun can be determined for any given time. And that’s just what the Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) did. Based on the Five Millenium Canon of Solar Eclipses, SVS calculated the paths of eclipses from the years 2000 BC to 3000 AD. We used their data to map those paths in the animation above.
On a global scale, an individual total solar eclipse is not a particularly rare event. Such an eclipse occurs about once every 18 months. Each eclipse is unique, though. Every eclipse in this dataset happens at its own location, follows a new path, and lasts for anywhere between about nine seconds to just over seven minutes. More than 3,040 total solar eclipses have occurred or will occur during the 5,000-year period between the years 2000 BC and 3000 AD. Some areas of Earth will experience as many as 31 eclipses in that time. And virtually no spot on the planet goes untouched by the Moon’s shadow: Eclipses can truly happen anywhere on Earth.
When viewed locally, however, eclipses do become more rare. Once an eclipse occurs at a location, several decades can pass before that same area will experience another eclipse. So, if you are waiting for an eclipse to happen where you are, you’ll need to be patient.
Where you are on the planet can also play a role in the frequency and duration of observed eclipses. Those at high latitudes are less likely to experience longer eclipses, as the Moon’s shadow grazes an increasingly smaller surface area of Earth. But Earth’s rotation doles out eclipses at all longitudes with equality. These relationships are visible in the chart above, and more subtly in the animated map.
Humanity has been intrigued by eclipses for millennia. Predicting eclipses is also an ancient practice. For some, an eclipse is an omen. For others, it brings good luck and a change in fortune—like the eclipse of May 28, 585 BC. Predicted in advance by Thales of Miletus, it is said this solar eclipse occurred during the height of a battle between King Alyattes of Lydia and King Cyaxares of the Medes. So moved by totality, the armies laid down their weapons and sought peace.
Viewed as signs from above or the simple consequence of orbital mechanics, solar eclipses captivate and inspire. And whether they do so with frequency or rarity is all a matter of perspective, dictated—as many things are—by the unrelenting influence of geography and time.
More to Explore
- Learn how solar eclipses were predicted in antiquity.
- Read about the different cultural interpretations of a solar eclipse.
- Plan ahead to view a solar eclipse in the coming decades.
