Watch a Partial Solar Eclipse on Christmas Day

IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN! The links on this page will guide you to information on how to view this eclipse safely.

According to NASA: “Sky watchers living in the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean will have a perfect view of the partially eclipsed Sun. Across North America, this partial eclipse will reach its maximum phase at 1735 Universal Time (12:35 p.m. EST) on Dec. 25th when 72 percent of the Sun’s diameter will be covered by the Moon as seen from northern Greenland.

In other places, the eclipse magnitude will vary from over 60 percent in the northeastern United States to less than 20 percent in the far southwest. (Eclipse magnitude is the percent of the Sun’s diameter covered by the Moon.) The exact time of maximum eclipse depends on your geographic position and time zone. Eclipse times for several hundred cities are listed at “The Last Eclipse of the 2nd Millennium“, online at NASA GSFC

Additional Links

° Rare Christmas Gift Viewable in Many Parts of North America, NASA GSFC

° A Partial Solar Eclipse for Christmas, Sky & Telescope Magazine

° Embracing the Sun: Viewing the Christmas Eclipse, Astronomy Magazine