Maine Will See a Partial Solar Eclipse on Wednesday

According to an article on the WABI website, Maine is getting another solar eclipse this Wednesday, but before you break out the eclipse glasses and start planning your next celestial viewing party, there’s one important difference: this one isn’t going to be nearly as dramatic as the total solar eclipse Maine experienced in 2024.

While the eclipse will only be a partial one, you have to admit that it is still pretty cool, right?

In Bangor, the moon will cover about 24% of the sun, while parts of Aroostook County will get an even better view, with roughly 29% of the sun blocked.

So, basically, you will just see a dimming of the midday sun.

Experts say Maine is essentially the only place in the contiguous U.S. where this eclipse will be visible. The eclipse’s totality will actually take place in Spain.

The best viewing time in Maine will be around 1:53 PM.

Just remember, staring directly at the sun is a terrible idea, so you’ll want proper eclipse glasses or a safe viewing device, like a solar projector.

If you don't have any eclipse-viewing equipment, the Versant Astronomy Center at UMaine will be hosting a free viewing event from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. There will also be a show about the solar system at 2 PM.  Eclipse glasses will be available for $3.

And if you miss this one, you’ll have a pretty long wait for the next solar eclipse visible from Maine. This is the last one the state is expected to see for roughly two decades.

But there’s another celestial show coming later this month: a partial lunar eclipse, with more than 90% of the moon expected to be in the Earth’s shadow here in Maine.