Just less than 24 hours from now, the United States of America was submerged in darkness following the total solar eclipse that swept the nation from one end to the other. The astronomical phenomenon passed through only for a mere 2.5 minutes, but still felt nothing short of being mesmerizing. Last occurred back in 1918, the total Solar Eclipse plunged the country into darkness after 99 years (100 would have sounded perfect, isn’t it?). But if you are a little sad about having been able to witness it yourself, we’ve got that covered for you. Scroll down below to see some mind-blowing pictures of the natural phenomenon.

Ok. To make things a little clearer, the total solar eclipse passed by the U.S and not India. So half of your regret is over right there, isn’t it? But should that stop you from being excited about a total solar eclipse? I’d say, ‘NO WAY’. It’s coming to us, here in India, too. And it doesn’t look like we’d have to wait that long. Alright a little longer. Fine, a little longer. But we’re not going to reveal the dates yet. GOTCHA!

Happy yet? No? Come on. Alright, here is a deal. If you missed this amazing event yesterday, which you did, of course, considering you stay in India, don’t worry, the universe is giving you a chance to witness this again. When? We’ll get to it, but promise us you’ll be there for the next one. Promise? Awesome! Now to answer the question of when the next total solar eclipse, you’ll have to wait a little longer, for we need to explain what a total Solar Eclipse is, right? So read on.

A total solar eclipse is said to occur every 18 months or so. During a total solar eclipse, the Moon, our own companion comes directly in between the Earth and the Sun during its usual orbit. But what makes it dark in some places in the world, and nothing at all in the others? The answer is that when a certain geographical point on Earth comes directly under the Moon’s shadow during the eclipse, you witness the Sun going dark. This concept of being directly under the path of the Moon’s shadow is called the Path of Totality. More often than not, the path of totality goes over the oceans, and when it does come where human inhabitancy exists, this automatically becomes an event you should never miss.

But again, the total solar eclipse isn’t really a once in a lifetime experience. And that is what this article is all about. So to answer your question finally, these are the next possible written down dates for a total solar eclipse.

IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IN 2034

Yup! If you were looking forward to a total solar eclipse, I’m sorry. However, the annular solar eclipses will occur as early as 2019.

Finally, here is the official waiting period in order to witness the magical astronomical event in India.

December 26, 2019: As mentioned earlier, the annular solar eclipse will gaze by India mostly in Southern Idea, Parts of the Arab Peninsula, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Sumatra, Singapore and parts of Guam and Borneo.

June 21, 2020: Following the one in 2019 would be in 2020, just a year apart where the annular solar eclipse will be visible in the Northern part of India that includes New Delhi, Tibet, Arabian Peninsula, Horn of Africa, Parts of China and Taiwan and Southern Pakistan.

March 20, 2034: The Grand Finale in the series, the total solar eclipse is expected to hit India in 2034, which would include countries like India, China, Pakistan, Parts of Africa and the Middle East experiencing a dark day.