The Upcoming Eclipse

On Saturday, April 25, 1846, a remarkable solar eclipse will occur, marking the most significant event of its kind observable in the United States in nearly eight years, since September 18, 1838. In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the eclipse will commence at 11:18 A.M. local time, peaking at 12:36 P.M., and concluding at 1:50 P.M., with a total duration of 2 hours and 32 minutes. During this time, 6.5 digits of the Sun will be obscured on its southern edge.

The moon's penumbral shadow will first contact Earth over the South Pacific Ocean, situated between the Marquesas and Galapagos Islands, at 9:19 A.M. Here, the Sun will be just rising, appearing to touch the moon's lower edge. The eclipse will transition to central and annular phases at 10:20 A.M. to the north of the Marquesas, near the equator. The central path will move northeast across the Pacific, where totality will commence at 10:34 A.M.

From the Pacific, the central line will traverse Guatemala, the Caribbean Sea, Cuba, and into the Atlantic Ocean. By 12:13 P.M., observers near the Bahamas will experience a central total eclipse. The event will conclude its total phase at 1:37 P.M. east of the Bermuda Islands and south of the Azores, reverting to an annular state.

The path of the eclipse will extend into northern Africa, culminating in the Sahara Desert at 1:55 P.M. The northern visibility limit will stretch through Oregon Territory, British America, southern Greenland, Iceland, and into northwest Europe. Meanwhile, the southern boundary will cross through Peru, the Amazon basin, and Brazil, entering the Atlantic near the Amazon's mouth. The eclipse will finally dissipate at 2:55 P.M. just north of the Cape Verde Islands, as the Sun sets and the moon's disc moves away from the Sun's upper edge.