HOUSTON – While Texas missed out on the path of totality with the 2017 eclipse, that path will travel through the heart of the Lone Star State in seven years.
The next Great American Eclipse, or whatever that total solar eclipse will be called, happens on April 8, 2024. It will traverse North America, starting in western Mexico and exiting the continent in southeastern Canada.
In the United States, the path of totality begins in southwest Texas and ends in eastern Maine.
A lot of rural areas in Texas will experience totality during the 2024 eclipse, but some major cities in Texas will get in on the action, as well.
The path for Texas begins near Elm Creek, along the Mexico border, and ends near Acworth, along the Oklahoma border. Some of the larger cities along the path include San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Tyler and Texarkana.
LINK: View map of 2024 total solar eclipse path
Cities like Houston, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Abilene and Amarillo are outside the path of totality during the 2024 eclipse, but will still get a pretty good show.
Experts are already worried about the weather for the 2024 eclipse, saying April is a typically wet time for North America.
On Oct. 14, 2023, what is called an annular solar eclipse will sweep across parts of the United States, casting a decent shadow on the earth from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Eugene, Oregon. What's the difference? In a total solar eclipse, the moon is close enough to Earth to completely block the sun, while in an annular solar eclipse, the moon is too far away to completely obscure it.
LINK: View map of 2023 annular solar eclipse path
Those who miss the 2024 total eclipse will have to wait until 2045 for the next total solar eclipse that crosses North America. A sliver of the Texas panhandle will be in the path of totality for that eclipse.
