For Fred Espenak

With huge sadness I read recently about the illness of Fred Espenak, Mr. Eclipse himself.

Fred has been a real hero for eclipse chasers worldwide, creating and selflessly sharing to the world reams of priceless data on eclipses of all kinds, as well as many pages of sound and helpful advice for eclipse viewers. He has inspired many, certainly including me — this entire website was built on his data, and you will see his name credited on every prediction on this site.

And in this, his legacy will endure forever, as his work will continue to inspire millions more. So, thanks, Fred.

Next eclipse:
7 Sep, 2025 AD — Total Lunar Eclipse in 19 weeks: The Moon will be plunged into darkness for 1 hour and 22 minutes, in a deep total eclipse which will see the Moon 36% of its diameter inside the Earth's umbral shadow. The visual effect of this depends on the state of the Earth's atmosphere, but the Moon may be stained a deep red colour for observers in most of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. The partial eclipse will last for 3 hours and 29 minutes in total.

Plan Ahead For:

21 Sep, 2025 AD — Partial Solar Eclipse: Partial eclipse visible in New Zealand, the southern Pacific, and parts of Antarctica.

12 Aug, 2026 AD — Total Solar Eclipse: Total eclipse visible north-eastern Greenland, west Iceland, Spain, and the Balearics. Partial eclipse visible Canada and parts of the northern US, and western Europe and north Africa.

2 Aug, 2027 AD — Total Solar Eclipse: Total eclipse visible across the southern tip of Spain, Gibraltar, and North Africa, and the Middle East. Partial eclipse visible across most of Africa, Europe, and south Asia.

For a full list of upcoming eclipses, see The Next 10 Years.

What It Is An eclipse happens when either the new Moon blots out the Sun during the day; or the Full Moon moves into the Earth's shadow at night. In the What's It About section you can learn what eclipses are all about, and how to observe them safely.	When Can I see One The most spectacular eclipses are also the hardest to find. The When Will I See It section has information and maps on 5,000 years of eclipses, including special pages on eclipses in the UK and US.
Eclipse Science The mechanics behind eclipses are a little involved, but not too complex. The Science section explains the science from a few different viewpoints, and provides some background on the Sun.	Eclipse Database You can find out how to access 5,000 years of eclipse pages in the Eclipse Database section, which provides access to the full catalog, as well as special lists of historic eclipses, and a compendium of eclipse statistics.
The Hermit Eclipse Site Help and information about this website, and information on where we get our data, can be found in the About the Site section.

For Fred Espenak

Next eclipse:

Plan Ahead For:

Welcome to Hermit Eclipse!

What It Is

When Can I see One

Eclipse Science

Eclipse Database

The Hermit Eclipse Site