Skywatchers in Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, parts of the Atlantic Ocean, Spain and a sliver of Portugal will have front-row seats to the rare total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, watching the moon completely blot out the sun.
In the United States, the show will be less dramatic. Viewers in parts of the Northeast, Midwest and Alaska will see only a partial eclipse, with the moon covering just a portion of the sun.
California stargazers, meanwhile, will have to keep looking ahead. The Golden State won’t see a partial solar eclipse for more than two years, and a total eclipse won’t return to California skies for another 19 years.
Still, Californians can tune in to NASA’s livestream to catch a glimpse of the rare celestial event from afar.
Here’s what to know about how to watch the August 2026 solar eclipse and when Californians can expect the next eclipse visible from the state.
Why can’t you see the solar eclipse from California?
As the Golden State lies outside the moon’s shadow, Californians will miss out on the eclipse entirely.
Solar eclipses are only visible along specific paths across Earth, and for the Aug. 12 event, California falls entirely outside the eclipse’s visibility zone.
What time is the total solar eclipse?
Totality is expected to begin in Iceland at 10:45 a.m. PDT on Wednesday, Aug. 12, according to NASA.
How and when to tune into NASA’s solar eclipse livestream
For Californians hoping to see the eclipse, the closest they’ll get is through a livestream.
NASA will start its live coverage of the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 on both its website and YouTube channel at 10:15 a.m. PDT, 30 minutes before totality starts in Iceland.
The coverage will feature “telescope views, footage from a WB-57 high-altitude research aircraft chasing the Moon’s shadow, expert commentary, and much more,” according to NASA.
When is the next solar eclipse that will be visible from California?
The next partial solar eclipse visible from California will happen on Jan. 14, 2029, according to Time and Date. Californians will have to wait much longer to see a total solar eclipse. The rare event is expected to be visible in the northern part of the state on Aug. 12, 2045.
When was the last solar eclipse visible in California?
The most recent solar eclipse that could be seen in California was a partial solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, according to Time and Date. The last time the Golden State saw a total solar eclipse was on Sept. 10, 1923.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Will the Aug. 12 solar eclipse be visible from California? What to know
Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Daniella Segura, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
