If your first thought after totality ended on August 21st was, “I need to see that again,” read on. We’ve gathered the dates, the locations, and the best observing locations for the next six total solar eclipses.

Chasing totality across the planet can be an addictive hobby.
Rick Fienberg / TravelQuest International / Wilderness Travel

Be warned: eclipse-chasing can be expensive — and addictive. But is there any better way to see the world than by following the shadow of the Moon?

Tuesday, July 2, 2019
South Pacific, Argentina & Chile

After the Great American Eclipse there’s an 18-month wait for the next total solar eclipse. On the surface of it there are many reasons to get excited about this two-minute totality. Intrepid travelers with cash to burn will want to be on a cruise ship near the remote Pitcairn Islands, while stargazers will salivate at the prospect of watching from Chile’s high-altitude Elqui Valley, which is strewn with world-class telescopes and smaller “boutique” observatories. However, catching this eclipse comes with some challenges: it will be winter in the Southern Hemisphere, so there’s a higher chance of clouds, and it happens late in the day, so the Sun and Moon will be low in the sky.

Cerro Tololo observatory in Chile’s Elqui Valley.
chile.travel

Monday, December 14, 2020
South Pacific, Argentina & Chile

If there’s an easy total solar eclipse to aim for in the next few years, it’s probably this one. A late afternoon eclipse with about two minutes of totality, it takes place during the good-weather month of December. By far the best place to head to is the spectacular––and tourist-friendly–– area of Villarica and Pucón in the Chilean Lake District. With excellent fishing, boating, hiking, and hot springs, this is an ideal area for touring and eclipse-chasing.

The Chilean Lake District should make a wonderful observing location in 2020.
chile.travel

Saturday, December 4, 2021
Antarctica

How are your sea-legs? And your wallet? Making a land expedition to Antarctica is very expensive, and the likely weather makes a clear totality unlikely. So there are two ways to maximize your chances of seeing 1 minute and 40 seconds of totality; join a cruise ship in the vicinity of South Georgia, or take a special eclipse flight from Chile; both will set you back many thousands of dollars, though. This eclipse might be one for most of us to follow from afar, but the prospect of a beautiful totality over Antarctica will be more than enough to attract hardcore eclipse-chasers.

An eclipse in Antarctica is risky, but could be spectacular.
Public domain (pixabay.com)

Thursday, April 20, 2023
Australia, Timor Leste & West Papua

Although this totality will last just 60 seconds, this eclipse is nevertheless a fascinating one: It’s an ultra-rare hybrid solar eclipse. At the beginning and end of the eclipse’s path, it will appear as an annular “ring of fire” eclipse, but those in the center of the track will see full totality. This occurs when the Moon, in its elliptical orbit around Earth, is right on the cusp of being too far away to totally eclipse the Sun

For eclipse-chasers that means the Baily’s beads — reams of sunlight that stream between the Moon’s mountains, visible on the limb of the Moon before and after totality — will probably linger for much longer than usual. The hybrid nature of the eclipse also means a high chance of shadow bands, wavy lines of alternating light and shadow on the ground just before and after totality.

The bad news? This is a mostly remote eclipse track that just grazes Western Australia; Cape Range National Park on Exmouth Peninsula is going to be busy.

The 2023 eclipse is visible from Cape Range National Park, Western Australia
Sal Salis & Sarah Wood Photography

Monday, April 8, 2024
North America

It’s a good time to be chasing eclipses in America; 2017 was the first of two total solar eclipses in just seven years. Even better, the 2024 event is technically even more impressive, with totality lasting a mighty 4 minutes, 28 seconds at its peak. However, it occurs in spring when clear skies are less likely. Beginning in Mexico and ending in Canada (passing through Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia Newfoundland), the path of totality also crosses Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, New York, and Vermont.

Greatest duration will occur near Torreón, Mexico, and Mexico and Texas will have the greatest chance of clear skies. Dallas will receive 3 minutes 49 seconds of totality and Waco 4 minutes 13 seconds, while Austin and San Antonio are both just inside the path of totality’s southern limit.

Dallas, Texas will see totality in 2024.
Public domain (pixabay.com)

Visit Eclipsophile.com to find weather info (and hence, destination guidance) for these future eclipses.

Source: Sky & Telescope