2024 Solar Eclipse In NJ: What You Need To Know For April 8

NEW JERSEY — Excitement is building in New Jersey for the Monday, April 8 total solar eclipse. We’re among about 32 million people living in the path of totality for the celestial sensation.

In the United States, the path of totality extends from Texas to Maine, but each of the 48 continental states will see some of the solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon slips between our bright star and Earth. In New Jersey, the moon will cover about 90 percent of the sun at the peak of the eclipse, according to a NASA map that is searchable by ZIP code.

Here are the details:

Partial eclipse begins: 2:09 p.m.
Totality begins: 2:50 p.m.
Maximum: 3:24 p.m.
Totality ends: 3:58 p.m.
Partial ends: 4:35 p.m.

The eclipse will last about 2 hours and 26 minutes from beginning to end in New Jersey.

• Related: You Must Protect Your Eyes, Regardless Of Eclipse Totality: What You Need

Right now, it looks like we could have clear, dry skies for the big event.

Some school districts around the Garden State will even dismiss students early on April 8 due to the celestial phenomenon. Read more: Solar Eclipse Prompts Early Dismissals For Some NJ Schools

The total solar eclipse starts in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as small parts of Tennessee and Michigan, before entering Canada in southern Ontario through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton before exiting continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

• Related: Animals May Behave Oddly During Eclipse