How Often Do Total Solar Eclipses Occur?

A total solar eclipse occurs somewhere on Earth about every 18 months, but for any one location, they’re incredibly rare. On average, a total solar eclipse passes over the same place only once every 375 years. That’s just an average, though—some cities see two eclipses within decades, while others wait more than 1,000 years. Here’s how often total solar eclipses occur and when your city may see the next one.

How Often Does a Total Solar Eclipse Occur?

A total solar eclipse is visible from somewhere on Earth about every 18 months. However, many of these events can be seen only from remote locales where travel is difficult. See the Almanac’s Eclipse Calendar for the upcoming year.

A better question is: How often is a total solar eclipse visible from any given location, such as the town where you live?

For any given place on Earth, a solar totality appears just once every 375 years, on average. Here and there, a few odd places enjoy two totalities in a single decade, while others must cool their heels for more than a millennium. 

By chance, some locations are treated to total solar eclipses only a few years apart.

• In the last 100 years, some areas have been in the path of multiple eclipses: New England, for example, saw five.
• In New York City, the last total solar eclipse was in 1925.
• Chicago has not seen a total solar eclipse in the last 100 years.
• On the west coast, San Diego was last eclipsed in 1923.
• The city of Los Angeles is in the midst of a “dry spell” of more than 1,500 years without a total solar eclipse.
• The location with the longest dry spell is near Tucson; the last solar eclipse was in the year 797.

Total Solar Eclipse Frequency by City

For those who are curious as to how long one must wait between total solar eclipses, I put together a list of North American cities, and the current interval between totalities to show how great the variation is between them!

Why You Should Never Miss One

If you have the opportunity to witness a total solar eclipse, take it. Veteran eclipse chasers often describe totality as nature’s most spectacular event. While bright comets, meteor fireballs, and the Northern Lights are unforgettable, many astronomers still consider totality the most awe-inspiring sight in the sky.