Solar & Lunar Eclipses Visible from Houston
Every eclipse in the 2024–2040 catalog that reaches Houston (29.7604°, -95.3698°), with contact times on the America/Chicago clock.
Checking the catalog against today's date…
Open the calculator at Houston's coordinates26 of the 39 in the catalog are above the horizon here, 5 of them total. Times are America/Chicago, converted per eclipse.
Houston's best-placed eclipse in the window is the total lunar eclipse of March 14, 2025, greatest at 1:58 AM CDT. The moon is fully inside Earth's shadow for 1h 5m, and the whole eclipse happens with the moon up — 62° above the horizon at greatest eclipse.
| Date | From Houston | Local times | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, March 25, 2024 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 2:12 AM CDT greatest eclipse | 56° up at greatest |
| Tuesday, September 17, 2024 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 9:44 PM CDT greatest eclipse Umbral 9:12 PM – 10:15 PM | 31° up at greatest |
| Friday, March 14, 2025 Total lunar eclipse | Total The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 1:58 AM CDT greatest eclipse Totality 1:25 AM – 2:31 AM | 62° up at greatest 1h 5m total |
| Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 6:48 AM, during the partial phase. The rest of it happens below Houston's horizon. | 5:33 AM CST greatest eclipse Totality 5:04 AM – 6:02 AM | 16° up at greatest 58m total |
| Thursday, August 27, 2026 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 11:12 PM CDT greatest eclipse Umbral 9:33 PM – 12:51 AM | 40° up at greatest |
| Saturday, February 20, 2027 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Houston at about 6:10 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 5:12 PM CST greatest eclipse | below the horizon at greatest |
| Tuesday, August 17, 2027 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 2:13 AM CDT greatest eclipse | 45° up at greatest |
| Tuesday, January 11, 2028 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 10:12 PM CST greatest eclipse Umbral 9:44 PM – 10:40 PM | 58° up at greatest |
| Monday, June 25, 2029 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Houston at about 8:21 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 10:22 PM CDT greatest eclipse Totality 9:31 PM – 11:13 PM | 21° up at greatest 1h 42m total |
| Thursday, December 20, 2029 Total lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Houston at about 5:22 PM, already in the partial phase. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 4:41 PM CST greatest eclipse Totality 4:15 PM – 5:08 PM | below the horizon at greatest 54m total |
| Monday, December 9, 2030 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Houston at about 5:18 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 4:27 PM CST greatest eclipse | below the horizon at greatest |
| Tuesday, May 6, 2031 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 10:50 PM CDT greatest eclipse | 31° up at greatest |
| Thursday, June 5, 2031 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 6:25 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Houston's horizon. | 6:43 AM CDT greatest eclipse | below the horizon at greatest |
| Thursday, October 30, 2031 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 2:45 AM CDT greatest eclipse | 62° up at greatest |
| Saturday, October 8, 2033 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 7:22 AM, during the partial phase. The rest of it happens below Houston's horizon. | 5:55 AM CDT greatest eclipse Totality 5:15 AM – 6:34 AM | 19° up at greatest 1h 19m total |
| Wednesday, September 27, 2034 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 9:46 PM CDT greatest eclipse Umbral 9:32 PM – 9:59 PM | 34° up at greatest |
| Thursday, February 22, 2035 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 3:04 AM CST greatest eclipse | 50° up at greatest |
| Saturday, August 18, 2035 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Houston at about 7:55 PM, already in the partial phase. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 8:10 PM CDT greatest eclipse Umbral 7:32 PM – 8:49 PM | 3° up at greatest |
| Monday, February 11, 2036 Total lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Houston at about 6:03 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 4:11 PM CST greatest eclipse Totality 3:34 PM – 4:48 PM | below the horizon at greatest 1h 15m total |
| Wednesday, August 6, 2036 Total lunar eclipse | Total The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Houston at about 8:05 PM, already in the partial phase. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 9:51 PM CDT greatest eclipse Totality 9:03 PM – 10:38 PM | 21° up at greatest 1h 35m total |
| Saturday, January 31, 2037 Total lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 7:15 AM, during the partial phase. The rest of it happens below Houston's horizon. | 8:00 AM CST greatest eclipse Totality 7:28 AM – 8:32 AM | below the horizon at greatest 1h 4m total |
| Sunday, July 26, 2037 Partial lunar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 11:08 PM CDT greatest eclipse Umbral 9:32 PM – 12:44 AM | 31° up at greatest |
| Wednesday, January 20, 2038 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The whole eclipse is above Houston's horizon, from first contact to last. | 9:48 PM CST greatest eclipse | 52° up at greatest |
| Wednesday, June 16, 2038 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse begins below the horizon — the moon rises over Houston at about 8:19 PM, already in the penumbral shading. Everything before that happens while the moon is down. | 9:43 PM CDT greatest eclipse | 15° up at greatest |
| Friday, July 16, 2038 Penumbral lunar eclipse | Penumbral The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 6:36 AM, during the penumbral shading. The rest of it happens below Houston's horizon. | 6:34 AM CDT greatest eclipse | 0° up at greatest |
| Saturday, May 26, 2040 Total lunar eclipse | Partial The eclipse is still under way at moonset — the moon sets at about 6:27 AM, during totality. The rest of it happens below Houston's horizon. | 6:44 AM CDT greatest eclipse Totality 5:58 AM – 7:31 AM | below the horizon at greatest 1h 32m total |
Reading the table. Greatest eclipse is one instant worldwide, printed on Houston's clock — the zone abbreviation is resolved for that date, so it changes across the window wherever the clocks do. From Houston is what the horizon leaves: a total eclipse the moon sets during is a partial one here, and the note beside it says which phase was under way. Durations are the eclipse's own, worldwide.
6 of the 38 in the catalog happen with the sun up here. Times are America/Chicago, converted per eclipse.
Yes — 6 of the 38 solar eclipses catalogued between 2024 and 2040 are visible from Houston, at least in part: April 8, 2024, January 26, 2028, January 14, 2029, November 14, 2031, July 2, 2038, November 4, 2040. None puts Houston inside a path of totality or annularity; the deepest is April 8, 2024, when 94% of the sun is covered.
| Date | From Houston | Local times | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, April 8, 2024 Total solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 12:19 PM to last at 3:01 PM. | 1:40 PM CDT greatest eclipse here | 94% of the sun covered 67° up |
| Wednesday, January 26, 2028 Annular solar eclipse | Partial The sun rises over Houston at 7:14 AM with the eclipse already under way; it ends at 8:58 AM. | 7:55 AM CST greatest eclipse here | 14% of the sun covered 7° up |
| Sunday, January 14, 2029 Partial solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 9:27 AM to last at 12:28 PM. | 10:55 AM CST greatest eclipse here | 45% of the sun covered 34° up |
| Friday, November 14, 2031 Hybrid solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 3:31 PM to last at 5:11 PM. | 4:23 PM CST greatest eclipse here | 16% of the sun covered 11° up |
| Friday, July 2, 2038 Annular solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 6:32 AM to last at 7:35 AM. | 7:03 AM CDT greatest eclipse here | 7% of the sun covered 7° up |
| Sunday, November 4, 2040 Partial solar eclipse | Partial The whole eclipse happens with the sun up, from first contact at 12:01 PM to last at 2:16 PM. | 1:09 PM CST greatest eclipse here | 22% of the sun covered 42° up |
"Covered" is the share of the sun's area the moon hides at the deepest moment seen from Houston. A solar eclipse is only safe to look at through ISO 12312-2 filters, except during the totality of a total eclipse.
Eclipse dates and contact times come from the NASA/Espenak catalog, and everything local to Houston — whether the moon or sun is above the horizon, how high it stands, what the horizon cuts off — is computed for 29.7604°, -95.3698° and converted to America/Chicago. Nothing on this page is stamped with a build date: an eclipse is a catalogued instant, so where the shadow fell and how high the moon stood over Houston are as fixed for 2024 as for 2040. Only the "next eclipse" panel at the top reads the clock, and it does so in your browser.
What the horizon decides. A lunar eclipse is visible from wherever the moon is up, which is half the planet — but an eclipse runs for hours and can straddle moonrise or moonset, and then only part of it is Houston's. That is why each row carries the moon's altitude at greatest eclipse and, where it matters, which phase was under way as the moon crossed the horizon. An eclipse 70° up is overhead and unmistakable; the same eclipse a few degrees up is behind whatever Houston has on its skyline.
How the solar rows are worked out. Each comes from NASA's Besselian elements for that eclipse, evaluated at Houston's coordinates at sea level: when the moon's disc first touches the sun's and when it leaves, how much of the sun it covers, and — inside a path — how long totality or annularity lasts. "Covered" is the share of the sun's area, which is what decides how dark it gets; it agrees with the US Naval Observatory's own figures to within a fifth of a percentage point, and the times to within five seconds. Near the edge of a path, the last kilometre or so depends on the mountains along the moon's limb, which these figures leave out.
Safe viewing. A lunar eclipse is safe to watch with the naked eye, binoculars, or a telescope — it is only the full moon, dimmed. A solar eclipse is not: outside the brief totality of a total eclipse, looking at the sun needs ISO 12312-2 filters, and sunglasses are not filters — not even at 99% covered, when the sliver left is still bright enough to burn.
When is the next lunar eclipse visible from Houston?
The panel at the top of this page names it, counting from today in your browser. The table below is the full record instead: all 26 lunar eclipses between 2024 and 2040 that are above Houston's horizon, with contact times already converted to America/Chicago. 5 of them are total from here.
Will a solar eclipse be visible from Houston?
Yes — 6 of the 38 solar eclipses catalogued between 2024 and 2040 are visible from Houston, at least in part: April 8, 2024, January 26, 2028, January 14, 2029, November 14, 2031, July 2, 2038, November 4, 2040. None puts Houston inside a path of totality or annularity; the deepest is April 8, 2024, when 94% of the sun is covered.
What time does the eclipse start in Houston?
Every time on this page is Houston local time, converted per eclipse rather than once for the page — the window spans 16 years, so the same zone reads differently in January and July and the abbreviation beside each row says which applies. A lunar eclipse begins with the faint penumbral shading (P1), bites into the disc at first umbral contact (U1) and, if it is total, goes fully dark at U2. A solar eclipse begins when the moon's disc first touches the sun's and, inside a path, turns total or annular at second contact; the solar table gives both, cut at sunrise or sunset where the horizon gets there first.
Why does Houston see more lunar eclipses than solar ones?
Earth's shadow at the moon's distance is far larger than the moon's shadow on Earth, and a lunar eclipse is visible from the entire night side of the planet at once — so Houston catches 26 of the 39 lunar eclipses in the window, and only 6 of the 38 solar ones. A solar eclipse throws a shadow a few thousand kilometres across at most, and its darkest part a few hundred; miss that footprint by an hour of Earth's rotation and there is nothing to see from Houston at all.