Total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 - Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois, USA

What will the 2024 total solar eclipse look like?

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Click on the interactive map below!
It will show you roughly when the eclipse will be happening.
Exact details for MANY more locations are available on our 2024 eclipse cities pages.

Interactive 2024 eclipse map for Chicago

Map of the Chicago area, showing the path of totality in gray

(Please note that Eclipse2024.org does not endorse or approve any specific viewing sites related to the 2024 eclipse. Selection of a suitable viewing site, including due diligence, weather considerations, infrastructure, travel, logistics, understanding of time zones, avoidance of trespassing on private lands, and safety considerations, is solely the responsibility of the eclipse observer.)

You MUST use certified eye protection ("eclipse glasses")
whenever ANY PART of the Sun’s disk is visible.

In Chicago, you must ALWAYS use your eclipse glasses to view the eclipse.

The Total Eclipse of April 8, 2024

Another total solar eclipse is coming to North America! This time, totality will also pass over Mexico and Canada – giving people all over North America another chance to experience this great celestial event.

In order to see totality, you have to be in the path of totality. If you aren’t in that path, you’ll only see a partial eclipse. You can learn more about those details with our simple eclipse viewing instructions guide.

This blog post will tell you about the 2024 eclipse as seen from the Chicago area in Illinois. Please check out all the links we’ve provided below to learn more about the 2024 total solar eclipse from other locations.

The Total Eclipse of April 8, 2024 in Chicago

Chicago was unfortunately not in the path of totality for the 2017 eclipse. This time in 2024, the path once again goes through Illinois, but yet again totality is not to be for folks in Chicago.

Where can I see the total eclipse?

The path passes through southern Illinois and Central Indiana, and you can see on the map where you should try to be on eclipse day. Heading down I-65 to Carmel or Indianapolis would be your best bet, to see almost four minutes of totality just at 3:06pm EDT. The centerline lies about 20 miles beyond that – down near Franklin, Indiana.

You can also head south on I-57 to Carbondale (yes, Carbondale is AGAIN on the centerline for this eclipse!), and you’ll get about 4m 8s of totality at 1:59pm CDT.

Please remember that if you go far enough into Indiana, you gain an hour by moving into the Eastern Time Zone. Please take that into account with any published eclipse times you see on the internet.

What will I see on eclipse day?

People who stay in Chicago will see a respectable partial eclipse, with some slight sky darkening. But there will be no corona, no totality, and no dramatic moments on eclipse day. Whatever effects there might be, you won’t be able to see them because you’ll need to use your eclipse glasses for the entire event, where just down the road folks are enjoying totality. It’s true that "close" just isn’t close enough when it comes to a total eclipse!

If the Sun is not COMPLETELY eclipsed you MUST always use ISO-certified eye protection ("eclipse glasses") to watch the eclipse. That means that, even if these things are going on around you, if you’re not in the path you won’t be able to see most of them. It will be best for you to get as far south as possible, to make sure you’re in the path and will be able to see totality.

When will the eclipse happen?

Eclipse day is April 8, 2024!

The eclipse happens at different times in different locations. Use the slider on the map above to show you when totality will happen as the eclipse passes through the Chicago area.

Use ISO-certified eye protection during the partial phases

Always remember the rule for using eye protection during an eclipse: If there’s ANY bright part of the Sun showing, then you have to use your eclipse glasses to watch the event.

That means if you can see anything at all of the Sun through the glasses, then the Sun is too bright and you have to leave the glasses on! If you can see absolutely NO piece of the Sun through the eclipse glasses, then it’s safe to take them off. But the second any bright part of the Sun becomes visible again, you have to put them back on – and this can be mere seconds after you took them off. It would be so much better for you to get into the path, and really enjoy seeing totality!

We also have an entire section of the site dedicated to providing much more detailed eclipse viewing instructions for you!

Wherever you decide to view from, be sure to plan your route carefully, and watch the weather to make sure you’ll have good skies on eclipse day.

Check out the Eclipse2024.org Eclipse Simulator!

You can also check out Eclipse2024.org’s eclipse simulator for any location you’d like to preview. The simulator will show you exactly what the eclipse will look like for any location you choose!

It’s certainly true that any type of eclipse is an exciting event, but we’d like to encourage you to make it into the path if at all possible on eclipse day. What you’ll see there (vs. back home in Chicago) will be literally the difference between night and day!

Eclipse2024.org Eclipse Simulator videos!

If you'd just like to preview the eclipse without using the simulator, we've made videos for the 2023 annular eclipse and the 2024 total eclipse as seen from over 2,200 locations! You can find them on our 2024 eclipse YouTube channel, but we've made it even easier for you - just visit our eclipse simulator video page to get started!