Topline
Did you see this morning’s dramatic partial solar eclipse? The first solar eclipse of 2025 occurred at sunrise on Saturday, March 29, with eastern Canada, the northeastern U.S., Europe and Africa all getting a glimpse. Eclipse chasers and photographers gathered along the U.S. east coast and in Quebec and Atlantic Canada to see as much as 94% of the sun eclipsed by the moon in what was a particularly deep partial solar eclipse. Here are the best photos.
Key Facts
In the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, early risers experienced a particularly striking view as the partially eclipsed sun emerged on the northeastern horizon mid-eclipse.
New York and Boston saw 21% and 43% of the sun eclipsed, respectively, though the best views were had along the coast, where dedicated eclipse chasers rose extremely early to get into position. The Nunavik region of Quebec, Canada, saw the maximum 94% eclipse at sunrise.
Observers in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S., New Brunswick and Quebec, Canada, attempted to view and image the rare sight of “solar horns” appearing on the northeastern horizon. From some coastal locations, the sun rose partially eclipsed as a horizontal “smiley face,” its cusps appearing on either side of the moon’s silhouette on the horizon.
How much the sun blocked the moon by lessening to the southwest, with locations such as Rochester, New York and Washington D.C. experiencing a tiny eclipse. Mid-morning views of the eclipse were had in parts of Europe and northwestern Africa.
In London, 30% of the sun was obscured, while in northern Scotland and Northern Ireland, about 40% was covered. Greenland and Iceland experienced the most substantial eclipses in Europe, with as much as 87% and 69% of the sun hidden behind the moon, respectively.
Connection To 2024’s ‘great North American Eclipse’
This, the only solar eclipse of the year for North America and Europe, came exactly one lunar year after the “Great North American Eclipse” on April 8, 2024, which an estimated 50 million people experienced. A lunar year — 12 orbits of the Earth by the moon — is 354 days, 11 days shorter than a solar year. During that total solar eclipse, the moon completely blocked the sun for up to 4 minutes 26 seconds, as seen from a narrow path of totality through Mexico, 15 U.S. states and Canada.
Why This Eclipse (almost) Ends Ramadan
Solar eclipses can only occur at the new moon when our natural satellite is between the Earth and the sun. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, with the timing of the months — including the fasting month of Ramadan — decided by the new moon. However, since a new moon is typically invisible (only during a solar eclipse can it be seen as a silhouette), observers will look west just after sunset on March 30 and 31 for the first sighting of the new crescent moon, known as the “Shawwal Moon.” Its appearance will signal the start of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan in 2025.
Why Eclipse Shadows Travel From West To East
Earth’s rotation from west to east means the sun, the moon and stars appear to rise in the east and set in the west, but the shadow of the moon during a solar eclipse moves from west to east. It’s because the moon orbits Earth from west to east, but does so twice as fast, according to NASA.
Key Background
The second solar eclipse of 2025, a partial solar eclipse, will occur on Sunday, Sept. 21, and be seen from New Zealand’s South Island and across the South Pacific. The following partial solar eclipse visible in North America will be a small partial solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026 — a total solar eclipse for eclipse-chasers in Greenland, Iceland and Spain — while the next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will come to Alaska on March 30, 2033.
