There is another solar eclipse this year. It will be visible from Easter Island

31 million Americans live within yesterday’s path of totality, and Great American Eclipse estimated that up to 4 million people traveled into its boundaries on April 8. 

But viewing destinations saw heavy traffic, along with inflated prices on flights and accommodations. Not everyone was fortunate enough to see its full grandeur. 

Another total solar eclipse won’t recur in the contiguous United States until 2044. But those with a passport don’t need to wait two decades to witness the phenomena. 

Here’s where to see another solar eclipse later this year: 

Catch the Annular Solar Eclipse in Chile and Argentina This October

An annular solar eclipse will be visible from South America, specifically Chile and Argentina, on October 2, 2024. 

EarthSky explains that the path of the annular eclipse will begin in the Pacific Ocean, about 1,056 miles southwest of Hawaii. It will first reach land at 16:54 UTC and be visible from Rapa Nui, or Chile’s Easter Island, for 6 minutes and 23 seconds. 

The eclipse will reach land again at 20:22 UTC, appearing over Chile’s Patagonian coast for 6 minutes and 26 seconds. 

This remote region of the Southern Andes is best known for Laguna San Rafael National Park. A handful of small towns, including Puerto Río Tranquilo and Caleta Tortel, offer accommodations. 

At 20:24 UTC, the eclipse will cross into Argentina’s Santa Cruz Province. Destinations within the antumbral path include Puerto San Julián and Puerto Deseado on the Atlantic coast. El Chaltén within Los Glaciares National Park is right on the border of the path. 

The annular eclipse will reach the South Atlantic by 20:27 UTC. Other areas of South America will see a partial eclipse on October 2, as will parts of North America, Antarctica, and the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. 

While Both Are Rare, Annular and Total Solar Eclipses Differ

Note that an annular solar eclipse differs from the total solar eclipse that occurred on April 8. 

The National Weather Service explains that during a total solar eclipse, the moon’s elliptical orbit is toward its minimum distance from Earth (221,000 miles). This positioning allows the moon to appear larger than the sun and during totality, the sun’s corona appears, creating white wisps around the blackened disc. 

Comparatively, an annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon is closer to its maximum distance from Earth (252,000 miles). During this phenomenon, the moon appears smaller than the sun, creating an antumbral shadow. 

Rather than the sun’s corona, annular eclipse spectators see a thin band of sunlight or a “ring of fire” around the moon.