Total Solar Eclipse — how long will it last, where and when to watch it

The wait is over and the Total Solar Eclipse is finally here. People across Mexico, United States, and Canada are all set to witness the majestic celestial event.

While it’s a rare occurrence, it also does not last that long.

Al Jazeera reports that a Total Solar Eclipse can last between two to three hours. It begins when the moon starts covering the sun and ends when it moves past it.

But experts say that the period of totality — when the moon has completely covered the sun — would last only between three and a half to four minutes in most places.

The places very close and on the centreline will witness the longest duration of totality, while those away from it will see the event for a shorter period.

Near Torreon, Mexico, people will witness the longest period of totality, which is 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

The eclipse will be visible from a 185km-wide band that stretches from the western coast of Mexico, through the US, and ends at Canada’s easternmost province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

It will begin in North America from Mazatlan, Mexico, at 11:07am local time. It will exit the continent on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16pm local time

Texas (1:27pm local time) will be the entering point of the eclipse in US and it will exit from Maine at 3:35pm local time.