On August 21st, the United States will
experience its first total solar eclipse since 1979, and its first solar
eclipse to cross the entire continental U.S. since 1918. The eclipse will begin at 10:15am (PDT) on
the west coast and end at 2:45pm (EDT) on the east coast, occurring over the
United States for approximately 90 minutes.
Depending on your location, the total eclipse will be viewable for a
little over 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
Eclipse path
The path of the solar eclipse is about 70 miles wide and
stretches diagonally across the U.S. from northern Oregon to South
Carolina. Viewing the eclipse within
this path will allow you to see the total solar eclipse, but the further you
are from the path of totality, the bigger the fraction of the sun you will see
during the phenomenon. In some regions
of the U.S., the portion of the sun eclipsed by the moon could be as little as
50%.
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(Credit: NASA)
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The path of totality will occur in 14 states: Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Below is a chart created by NASA of some cities that are in the line of that path and will be able to view the eclipse in totality:
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| (Credit: NASA) |
UW Space Place also put together a chart showing the solar eclipse time, duration, and percentage of sun covered for some major Wisconsin cities:
Here is an example of a solar eclipse from last year covering the Pacific:
(Credit: CIMSS Satellite Blog)
Eclipse weather
Weather always plays a factor in viewing an eclipse. Although the 21st of August is too
far out to predict accurately, meteorologists have been taking a crack at early
predictions of cloud cover and storm systems based on historical data and
general upper-air patterns. The latest
forecast includes a cloudy morning for the West Coast, midday thunderstorms in
the South, possible low pressure systems bringing rain in the Upper Midwest
and Plains, and scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon in the Southeast. Be sure to check in with the National Weather Service's eclipse page to monitor the weather as the date approaches: http://www.weather.gov/eclipse/.
Watching the
eclipse in the Madison, WI area
Please remember that viewing the solar eclipse through
improper eyewear (which includes anything that was not designed specifically
for staring at the sun) will cause irreparable damage to your eyes. Public
libraries across the country have teamed up with the Moore Foundation and
Google to provide free protective glasses that can be used to view the
eclipse. The following public libraries
in our area are offering free eclipse-viewing glasses at educational events:
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Middleton Public Library
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Oregon Public Library
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Waunakee Public Library
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Rosemary Garfoot Public Library
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Alicia Ashman Library
The following public libraries will
be offering free eclipse-viewing glasses at non-eclipse events or upon request:
·
Alicia Ashman Public Library
·
Sequoya Public Library
·
Sun Prairie Public Library
There are also a couple of viewing parties taking place in Madison for the solar eclipse. Two public libraries, Waunakee Public Library and Middleton Public Library, will each be hosting viewing parties just outside their libraries and will offer more free eclipse-viewing glasses.
Be sure to also check in with the SSEC’s social media on
August 21st to view the GOES-16 imagery of the Earth during the
solar eclipse. Below are a few links to
where you will be able to see the shadows cast by the moon as the eclipse makes
its way across the United States: