Eclipse Resources: Solar and Lunar
Check our Special Events page for information about upcoming observing opportunities and unique programs.
All About Eclipses!
Learn everything you need to know about the upcoming eclipses that will be visible from Chicagoland. There will be an annular eclipse on October 14, 2023 and a total eclipse on April 8, 2024, both of which will be partially visible from this area. Find out the when and where to view these eclipses, as well as how to do so safely, by watching this video!
Solar Eclipse Safety
- Safely See a Solar Eclipse: Sunglasses Don't Work
- How to View a Solar Eclipse Safely
- Suppliers of Safe Solar Filters & Viewers
- Solar Filters for Optics: Telescopes, Binoculars & Cameras
Looking for livestreams
April 8, 2024 – Total Solar Eclipse
- Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 (Great North American Eclipse)
- Use Xavier Jubier's Highly Detailed and Interactive Google Map to find out the exact times and other details for eclipse visibility wherever you drop a pin on the map. See whether your home or any other location lies within the roughly 115-mile-wide path of the total solar eclipse.
- Another total eclipse is coming to North America!
- Total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 over Mexico, the USA, and Canada
General Eclipse Information
- Moon's Role in a Solar Eclipse
- Solar Eclipse Experience: What to Expect
- Solar Eclipse Glossary
- Chicago will experience totality during the total solar eclipse of September 14, 2099 - Mark your calendars now.
- Brief History of Solar Eclipses
- Explore hands-on, teacher-tested activities for the classroom and beyond
Other Comprehensive and Detailed Eclipse Pages
- Eclipse America 2023-2024: Information and Resources from the American Astronomical Society4
- http://eclipse2024.org/
- http://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/
- http://www.timeanddate.com/
- Mr. Eclipse, Fred Espenak is a retired, emeritus American astrophysicist who worked at the Goddard Space Flight Center for many years but may be best known for his work on eclipse predictions. His website features details for solar and lunar eclipses in the past and for eclipses hundreds of years into the future.
- http://www.shadowandsubstance.com/
- http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/home/
Understanding Lunar Eclipses
Next total lunar eclipse visible from Chicago will be March 14, 2025 - Click HERE for more information.
Planetarium Software for your computer and mobile devices
Stellarium is a free, open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you would see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
- Stellarium for download on your computer
- Stellarium also runs completely online in your browser. No download required.
- Stellarium for your mobile device, available for iOS and android for a modest fee
October 14, 2023 – Annular Solar Eclipse
- Solar Eclipse 2023 - Annular Eclipse, October 14
- Use Xavier Jubier's Highly Detailed and Interactive Google Map to find out the exact times and other details for eclipse visibility wherever you drop a pin on the map. See whether your home or any other location lies within the roughly 125-mile-wide path of the annular solar eclipse.
- If you’ll be in the path of the October 14, 2023, annular eclipse, click HERE as to what you can look for as the Moon covers the face of the Sun
- 2023 annular eclipse in the Western Hemisphere
- See the Ring of Fire eclipse of October 14, 2023!
- 2023 Annular Eclipse Preview
Special Thanks
Special Thanks to the following individuals, companies, and websites for producing and providing so many excellent images and other resources for eclipse education around the world.
Digistar Planetarium Software from Evans & Sutherland, a COSM Company
- Michael Bakich
- Maggie Connelly
- Paul Deans
- Bill Dunford
- Fred Espenak
- Rick Feinberg
- George Fleenor
- Aubrey Gemignani
- Celeste Holliman
- Dave Hostetter
- Xavier Jubier
- Dexter LeDoux
- Dave Maness
- Mark Margolis
- Jay Pasachoff
- Theo Wellington
- Michael Zeiler
- American Astronomical Society
- Astronomy Magazine
- Celestron
- NASA
- NASA Space Visualization Studio
- Roper Mountain Science Center
- Sky and Telescope Magazine
- TravelQuest International