The Great American Solar Eclipse

Celebrate the solar eclipse on August 21 at the Academy and beyond!

The "Great American Eclipse" takes place on Monday, August 21, when the shadow of the Moon sweeps coast-to-coast across the United States. This is the first time since 1979 that a total eclipse will be visible from the continental United States—and the next time won't be until 2024!

For the roughly 12 million people who live along the narrow path of the Moon's shadow, or "totality," the entire Sun will be blocked from view. San Francisco isn't in the totality's path, but it will still be an incredible show: 80% of the Sun's diameter will be covered by the Moon between 9:01 am and 11:37 am.

Weather-permitting, from 9:30 am to 11:37 am, Academy staff and volunteers will be available to guide museum visitors in safe viewing of the partial eclipse, using a variety of devices and techniques and to answer questions about this remarkable phenomenon.  If the sky is cloudy (it IS San Francisco, after all), we'll be showing live-streams of the eclipse from the path of totality in the Naturalist Center and Science Today.  

While supplies last, eclipse glasses designed to permit safe viewing the Sun are on sale at the Academy Store.