A total solar eclipse will cross the US in April: Here's where and when to see it

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A stunning solar eclipse is almost here. Without a doubt, the full eclipse in the U.S. in 2017 was one of the most remarkable of our time. And now we get to experience another celestial event, this one will cross all three countries within North America.

Before entering the U.S., the zone of totality will travel over a portion of northern Mexico, then pass into Texas, cross portions of the Midwest and East Coast, touch southeast Canada, then proceed out to sea, according to NASA.

Here's what to know about this amazing event as it passes over North America:

Where can the total solar eclipse be viewed?

On April 8, NASA says, the total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing through Texas around 1:27 p.m. CDT and ending in Maine about 3:35 p.m. EDT. Anywhere along the eclipse path, the longest period of totality will be 4 minutes and 28 seconds, nearly double that of the 2017 solar eclipse.

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Dig dipper:What time is the solar eclipse? Search your ZIP code for a viewing guide

All contiguous states will see portions of the eclipse

Most Americans will be able to see a portion of the eclipse. The percentage of the sun that will eclipsed by the moon is shown on the map below.

The total eclipse will enter through Texas and travel into Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.  It will also be seen in small areas of Michigan and Tennessee.

More:What happens if you look at a solar eclipse? A viewing guide for this year's sky show.

What is a solar eclipse?

Any celestial object like a moon or a planet that passes between two other bodies can create an eclipse by obscuring the view of objects like the sun.

A total eclipse occurs when the moon appears the same size as the sun and blocks the entire disk, leading to a period of darkness lasting several minutes. The resulting "totality," when observers can see the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, known as the corona.

The day before the eclipse, the moon will come closest to Earth this month. On eclipse day, that means the moon is only 223,000 miles away. That proximity will make the moon appear larger in the sky, resulting in an exceptionally extended duration of sun-blocked darkness. The Earth and moon will be 93 million miles from the sun on the day of eclipse.

More:What's the best place to see the April 2024 solar eclipse? One state is the easy answer.

Follow the path of totality

Several major cities will be in the direct line of darkness, including Dallas, Indianapolis, Little Rock, Arkansas, Cleveland, and Buffalo, New York.

The 115-mile-wide line of totality, which will stretch from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Newfoundland, is home to an estimated 44 million people, and of those, about 32 million are in the United States.

The solar eclipse will be the last of its kind that will be visible for people in the U.S. until Aug. 23, 2044, according to NASA.

SOURCE NASA, GreatAmericanEclipse.com, The Associated Press and EclipseWise.com

CONTRIBUTING Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY