Sunrise on Saturday, March 29, will look rather odd from the northeastern coast of North America. With a deep partial solar eclipse already in progress, a crescent sun will appear on the eastern horizon.
Thirteen U.S. states will see the March 29 solar eclipse in some form, with a deeper eclipse visible the farther northeast you go. Coastal New England will get the best views. In Maine, up to 86% of the sun will be eclipsed as it rises. New Hampshire and Massachusetts will see up to 57% and 55% coverage, respectively. Boston will see a 43% eclipse.
The eclipse will be more modest in other areas of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. New York City will experience 21% obscuration, and the coverage will be less in Philadelphia (11%); Rochester, New York (8%); and Washington, D.C. (1.2%). Although many observers across the region will be able to glimpse a slight eclipse as the sun rises higher into the eastern sky, the best views will be from a coastal location as far north as possible.
Related: March 29 solar eclipse: Where and when to see the rare sunrise solar eclipse from North America
Note: Because this is a partial eclipse, viewers MUST use protective eyewear at all times, be it a pair of certified solar eclipse glasses, or a backyard telescope equipped with a solar filter.
You’ll also need clear sight lines to the sunrise, which will take place slightly to the east-northeast. You can use Time and Date’s map and The Photographer’s Ephemeris to find suitable locations.
A ‘double sunrise’
Seeing an eclipsed sunrise is a rare opportunity in itself, but from some locations, it will be possible to glimpse a “double sunrise” as the silhouette of the moon makes the rising sun look like two separate “horns” emerging from the horizon.
That unusual sight will be restricted to northeastern Maine, southwestern New Brunswick and eastern Quebec. Prime coastal viewing spots include Quoddy Head State Park and South Lubec in Maine; Forestville, Quebec; and St. Andrews, New Brunswick, all of which will host an 83% to 87% eclipsed “double sunrise.”
Atlantic Canada will see a smaller eclipsed sunrise, with the eclipse deepening shortly thereafter. Moncton, New Brunswick, will see 84%, with similar obscuration in Halifax, Nova Scotia (82%), and St. John’s, Newfoundland (82%). Quebec City will see a 72% eclipsed sunrise, and Montreal and Ottawa, Ontario, will get 46% and 29%, respectively.
No eclipse will be visible in Toronto. The point of maximum eclipse will be close to Akulivik, Nunavik, in northern Quebec, where a 91% eclipsed sunrise will be seen.
Iceland, Europe, and Africa
Beyond North America, it’s a midmorning event. Reykjavik, Iceland, will experience 67%, but the scene will be much less dramatic in London (31%), Paris (24%), Madrid (20%), Berlin (15%), Vienna (6%) and Rome ( 2%). On the coast of Morocco, from Tangier to Agadir, around 15% to 18% of the sun will be obscured.
The next solar eclipse — another partial one — will occur on Sept. 21, 2025, and will be visible from Antarctica, New Zealand and the southwestern South Pacific. The next partial solar eclipse in North America will be on Aug. 12, 2026 (and will be a total solar eclipse in Spain, Iceland, Greenland, Russia and a small area of Portugal).
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