NORFOLK, Va. — On Monday, millions of Americans will look to the sky to see the total solar eclipse cross North America.
A cosmic event of this scale hasn't been seen in the U.S. in seven years and this time it will be bigger and longer than what we experienced in 2017.
The eclipse will take place on April 8, passing through Mexico, the United States and Canada. NASA's 2024 eclipse map shows the totality path, or "umbra," spans in a northeasterly direction from southern Texas through parts of the Midwest and northeastern parts of the country.
In Virginia, the moon will only cover about 80% of the sun. It's not totality, but it is a spectacle Virginians will not see again for years.
NASA says while roughly two to three solar eclipses happen each year, a total solar eclipse only happens twice every three years. Keep in mind not every solar eclipse is visible in the United States.
North America will not experience totality again until 2033 and only in Alaska.
Next, it's 2044 when totality will be confined to North Dakota, Montana, and parts of Canada.
The next U.S. eclipse spanning coast to coast will not happen again until 2045! That eclipse however will curve through California, Arkansas and down into Florida, missing Virginia by quite a bit.
The next time a solar eclipse will pass through Virginia won't be until 2078 when the path of totality goes right through Kitty Hawk and will pass through the southern parts of Hampton Roads.