NATION

What does a total solar eclipse look like? Photos from past events show what to expect in 2024

On April 8, a total solar eclipse is expected to pass over the United states, Mexico and Canada. Typically, a solar eclipse occurs in the daytime and happens when the moon blocks the sun's light.

The sun's corona surrounds the totally eclipsed sun in this photo from the Aug. 21, 2017 eclipse made near Silverton, Oregon. Another total solar eclipse will cross the U.S. from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024.

If you want to experience a scientific phenomenon in 2024, you may be in luck.

On April 8, a total solar eclipse is expected to pass over he United States, Mexico and Canada.

Nearly 28% of the U.S. will experience the eclipse's journey through the country for a few minutes, NASA reports.

The path of the eclipse will enter the U.S. in Texas, and pass through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, according to NASA, which added that some parts of Michigan and Tennessee will also experience it.

Typically, a solar eclipse occurs in the daytime and happens when the moon blocks the sun's light, leading to a period of partial or full darkness on Earth.

The last total solar eclipse happened on Aug. 21, 2017. It was visible in every U.S. state except for Alaska and Hawaii, and was the first to cross America from coast to coast since 1918, according to the American Astronomical Society.

Here are some images of past solar eclipses to hype you up for the next one and show you what you can expect:

October 2023 partial solar eclipse:Photos show a 'ring of fire' in the sky.

Visitors to Yaquina Bay State Park watch the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017 in Newport, Oregon.
The moon eclipses the sun for a total solar eclipse over Carhenge in Alliance, Neb.
The solar eclipse in totality over Falls Park Bridge in Greenville, S.C..
Melissa Cheatwood, from Baltimore, Md., gazes up as the eclipse enters totality in Charleston, S.C. on Aug. 21, 2017.
The solar eclipse as seen from Nashville, Tenn. on Aug. 21, 2017.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wear protective glasses as they view the solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, at the White House.
Madison wears sunglasses to view the eclipse along the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tenn.
The crowd at the Nashville eclipse-viewing party watches the start of the eclipse at First Tennessee Park.
Malon Taylor, 7, takes a look up at the sun alongside mother LaDondra Taylor during a solar eclipse watch party hosted by the Science Center of Iowa outside the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines.
The total solar eclipse darkens the sky over Carhenge in  Alliance, Neb. on Aug. 21, 2017
Near totality of the annular eclipse as seen in the Southwestern and Northwestern United States on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
The 2017 solar eclipse as seen above Churchill Downs during peak coverage in Louisville, KY.
The annular solar eclipse is seen from Richardson, Texas, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
The annular solar eclipse is seen over Austin City Limits weekend two, day two on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.
A solar eclipse is underway and is visible in the Southwestern and Northwestern United States on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
Progression of the solar eclipse seen in the southwestern and northwestern United States on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
The moon passes between earth and the sun during the annular eclipse of the sun Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah.
The moon moves in front of the sun, creating a shadow during an annular solar eclipse at Lake Corpus Christi State Park on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in Mathis, Texas.
Photographs taken every 15 minutes during the solar eclipse viewed from Phoenix on Oct. 14, 2023.