Two Suns at Dawn: The Rare Magic of a Partial Solar Eclipse Sunrise

This past weekend, something rare and quietly extraordinary unfolded in the skies above northeastern North America: a partial solar eclipse at sunrise — and with it, the eerie illusion of a ‘double sunrise’ or ‘devil’s horns’. 

​​​​​​​​Generated with DALL·E.

​For those who were in just the right spot — places like eastern Maine, coastal New Brunswick, or the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec — the Sun didn’t rise as a single glowing disc. Instead, two crescent-shaped horns of sunlight crept above the horizon, side by side, separated by the shadow of the Moon. This fleeting illusion is called a ‘double sunrise’, and it’s the result of a rare alignment where a partial solar eclipse begins (or reaches its peak) at the exact moment the Sun is rising.

So what’s actually happening?

​A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun but doesn’t cover it completely. Instead, it obscures only a portion of the Sun’s face. When this happens at sunrise, the Sun emerges with a large chunk ‘missing’. And in cases like March 29, 2025 — when the Moon covered 80–90% of the Sun in those regions — only the far edges of the Sun remained visible, appearing like two separate horns of light on the horizon. 

Why is it so rare?

Because for this to happen:

• A partial solar eclipse must occur,
• It must align precisely with sunrise,
• And you have to be in a very specific region of the world to witness it.

When all three conditions align, you get a visual phenomenon that feels both celestial and surreal — a kind of cosmic sleight of hand.

Photos shared on social media captured the moment brilliantly. The first image below, taken by Fabrizio Melandri in Monticello, Maine, shows the textbook ‘devil’s horns’ silhouette — sharp, symmetrical, and surreal. The second set of images, taken by Colleen Logan on the Atlantic coast of Canada, shows the Sun’s eerie progression through cloud-fringed treetops.

​‘Horns of fire’ rising over Maine – captured by Fabrizio Melandri.

Images captured by Colleen Logan from the Atlantic coast of Canada.

For more about how solar eclipses work — and where this one was visible — check out:

• NASA’s Eclipse Portal
• NASA SVS Map of the March 29, 2025 Partial Solar Eclipse

​If you missed it, don’t worry — part of the joy in these events is knowing how rare and serendipitous they are. And when the skies do offer up a gift like this, it reminds us to keep looking up.

Clear skies, friends.