No Total Solar Eclipses in 2025 — But Two Total Lunar Eclipses Await

Although 2025 won’t feature any total solar eclipses, skywatchers can still look forward to two impressive total lunar eclipses — including one that will be visible across much of North America.

 

Lunar Eclipse Series (September 2015)

This composite of the September 28, 2015 total lunar eclipse was created using seven different exposures captured with a Canon Rebel XSi DSLR and an 8-inch f/3.3 Newtonian telescope.

Each year can include as many as seven eclipses, combining both solar and lunar types. That’s a rare occurrence — the last time it happened was in 1982. The minimum number of eclipses in a year is four, and that’s what we’ll experience again in 2025, just like in 2024 — though the distribution will be different.

In both 2023 and 2024, we witnessed exciting total and annular solar eclipses. Unfortunately, 2025 will be quieter for solar events, offering only two partial eclipses. However, lunar eclipse fans are in for a treat, with two total lunar eclipses on the calendar — the first such pair since 2022.

What Causes Eclipses?

Eclipses of the Sun or Moon occur only when the Moon crosses Earth's orbital plane near the time of a new or full Moon. These alignment periods, called eclipse seasons, happen roughly every six months.

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon aligns between Earth and the Sun during new Moon, casting a shadow onto parts of Earth’s surface.

In contrast, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon during full Moon, and the Moon moves through Earth's shadow.

Because the Moon’s orbit is tilted about 5° relative to Earth’s orbital path, these alignments don’t happen every month — only when the geometry lines up closely enough. The term for this alignment is syzygy. The previous eclipse of 2024 occurred in early October, so the first of 2025 falls in mid-March, about six months later.

Types of Lunar Eclipses

There are three main categories of lunar eclipses, depending on how deeply the Moon enters Earth’s shadow:

Total lunar eclipse: The entire Moon passes through Earth’s dark central shadow (umbra), leading to a full eclipse with a reddish glow.

Partial lunar eclipse: Only part of the Moon moves into the umbra, resulting in a partially darkened Moon.

Penumbral lunar eclipse: The Moon passes through Earth’s lighter outer shadow (penumbra), which causes subtle dimming visible only to keen observers.

Lunar eclipses can be seen anywhere on Earth where the Moon is above the horizon, though clear skies are, of course, essential.

Solar Eclipses: Total, Annular, and Partial

When the Moon is farther from Earth in its elliptical orbit, it appears slightly smaller in the sky and cannot cover the entire Sun. This results in an annular solar eclipse, where a bright ring of sunlight (an “annulus”) encircles the Moon.

Partial solar eclipses happen when the alignment is close but not exact — the Moon covers only a portion of the Sun’s surface. These eclipses are visible over a broader area than total or annular eclipses but are less dramatic.

Unlike lunar eclipses, which can be observed from an entire hemisphere, solar eclipses have a much narrower path. The zone of totality, where the Sun is completely obscured, is usually no more than 160 km (100 miles) wide.

Travel is often necessary to witness a total or annular solar eclipse. Some eclipse enthusiasts journey to remote locations, like northern Kenya in 2013 for just 11 seconds of totality, or to the Southern Ocean in 2021 — where only one cruise ship among many managed to dodge the clouds and view the event.

On average, any given location experiences a total solar eclipse roughly once every 375 years.

The Four Eclipses of 2025

Here’s a quick look at the four eclipses scheduled for 2025. (All times listed are in Universal Time [UT]. Adjust for your time zone — e.g., Eastern Daylight Time is UT – 4.)

Date	Type	Greatest Eclipse	Visible From
March 14	Total Lunar Eclipse	6:59 UT	North & South America, Europe, Africa
March 29	Partial Solar Eclipse	10:47 UT	Northeastern North America, Greenland, Europe
September 7	Total Lunar Eclipse	18:12 UT	Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand
September 21	Partial Solar Eclipse	19:43 UT	Antarctica, New Zealand

March 14: Total Lunar Eclipse

This will be the first total lunar eclipse seen anywhere since 2022 — and it’s ideally placed for North America! The event will be visible across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, starting at 5:09 UT and ending at 8:48 UT. That’s the late evening of March 13 for West Coast observers.

The Moon will cross the northern part of Earth’s umbra near the Leo-Virgo boundary. During totality, the side of the Moon closer to the umbral edge may appear noticeably brighter. The full eclipse phase will last 66 minutes, while the overall partial eclipse lasts more than 3.5 hours.

Observers can use this opportunity to estimate the eclipse's brightness using the Danjon scale or conduct crater timing studies for citizen science efforts.

March 29: Partial Solar Eclipse

Just two weeks later, the Moon reaches its new phase and partially obscures the Sun. This deep partial solar eclipse will be best seen from Europe, Greenland, and northeastern Canada, occurring mostly in the morning hours.

At maximum eclipse, around 93% of the Sun will be covered as seen from northeastern Quebec at sunrise. The eclipse will also be noticeable from parts of the U.S. East Coast and Canadian Maritimes at sunrise, with the Sun rising already partially eclipsed.

September 7: Total Lunar Eclipse

This eclipse favors the Eastern Hemisphere, with Europe and Africa witnessing it in the evening, and Asia and Australia seeing it in the early morning of September 8. The Moon will travel through the southern portion of Earth’s umbra in the constellation Aquarius.

Totality lasts 82 minutes, with partial phases stretching from 16:27 UT to 19:57 UT.

September 21: Partial Solar Eclipse

This solar eclipse takes place over the remote South Pacific and the Southern Ocean. It’s mostly visible from Antarctica and nearby regions — a location that naturally limits the number of potential observers.

New Zealand will get a decent view. From Auckland, the eclipse will already be in progress at sunrise on September 22, peaking with around 60% of the Sun obscured. Farther south, up to 73% of the Sun will be covered.

Looking Ahead to 2026

Next year continues the trend of just four eclipses, but the lineup is exciting:

February 17: Annular solar eclipse (visible near Antarctica)

March 3: Total lunar eclipse (excellent viewing in North America)

August 12: Total solar eclipse (visible in parts of Europe, especially Spain)

August 28: Near-total lunar eclipse (best seen across the U.S. on the evening of the 27th)

Sky & Telescope will be offering travel programs for future eclipses — while the 2025 Greenland trip is full, spots remain open for the 2026 and 2027 eclipse tours.