Watching the solar eclipse from Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - While Lake Tahoe and the rest of California and Nevada are outside of the Path of Totality, there will still be a glimpse of the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.

As the moon passes in front of the face of the sun, the light from the sun is blocked. The path of Totality is 115 miles wide, and 10,000 miles long from Mexico to Newfoundland, passing over 15 states in its path. But, that doesn't mean the rest of us will miss out. If under its path, people will experience over four minutes of totality, which means total darkness and a drop in temperatures.

Lake Tahoe will experience 36.4 percent of the eclipse from 10:43 a.m. Monday to 11:53 a.m. (To see what the timing is in your town, visit https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/).

Lake Tahoe should have a clear sky at the time, so the eclipse shouldn't be blocked by any clouds as it will be for many in the Path of Totality.

Even though Lake Tahoe won't experience 100 percent of an eclipse, it still isn't safe to look directly at the sun. If you don't have eclipse glasses you can follow websites like NASA and Space.com, or make your own viewer. For instructions, visit https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/safety/.

According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse will be in 2026, but it will mostly pass over the Arctic Ocean, with some visibility in Greenland, Iceland, Portugal, and northern Spain. In 2027, a total solar eclipse will be visible in Spain and a swath of northern Africa. The next total solar eclipse visible from North America will be in 2033, but only over Alaska. Then in 2044, a total solar eclipse will cross Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, parts of Canada, and Greenland.

But, there is something to look forward to if in California in 2045! The next total solar eclipse to cross the continental U.S. coast-to-coast will happen then as the Path of Totality will cut through California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

With millions of people heading to be under the path in 2024, start making plans for 21 years from now.