If you've ever wanted to see the sun look like it's been partly eaten, next Monday is going to be a good day. The Great North American Solar Eclipse is only a few days away - on Monday April 8th. Thirteen states will see totality - 15 if you count the slivers of Tennessee and Michigan included in the path.
Colorado will lie to the north of this path, resulting in a partial eclipse. What does this mean, and where should you go to get the best view? Let's take a look.
What's a TOTAL Solar Eclipse?
A total eclipse occurs when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, completely blocking the Sun's light and casting a shadow along a path on the ground known as the path of totality. This path is relatively narrow compared to the size of Earth...about 115 miles: the distance between Pueblo and Denver. This is only about half of one percent of Earth's circumference! You might hear the term "umbra" when talking about this zone. Astronomers define this as the zone where the moon looks "bigger" than the sun...so the shadow cast on the ground fully covers the sun.
What's a PARTIAL Solar Eclipse?
The moon is smaller than the sun. The way light bends, and the distance between the Moon, Earth, and Sun, all factor into how a small object can block the light of a big object. Outside of the umbra, the moon doesn't completely block the sun's light. This is what a partial eclipse is, and that's what you'll see Monday in Colorado.
Because the sun won't be fully covered, you need eclipse glasses to view it safely. Here's an article about how to do that - but in short, you need eclipse glasses. Not sunglasses!
What should you expect / What's the forecast?
Watch the video for the full forecast. In short, it's not going to be a sunny day - we'll have clouds. Right now it's not looking overcast everywhere, but it's likely to be clearest on the southeastern plains. Temperatures will be in the 40s to 50s depending on your location and cloud cover. You'll want to check back in through the week since you may need to adjust your location plans to get the best view.
The eclipse begins in Colorado Springs at 11:26 AM, peaks at 12:39 PM, and ends at 1:53 PM. Here's a breakdown:
- START: 11:26 AM
- 20% covered: 11:49 AM
- PEAK: 73.6% at 12:39 PM (Magnitude), 67% (Obscured).
- 20% covered: 1:29 PM
- END: 1:53 PM
We have another articlecovering the difference between Magnitude and obscuration.
Peak eclipse will be within 2 minutes of this time for the rest of the I-25 corridor:
- 12:37 PM in WALSENBURG
- 12:38 PM in PUEBLO
- 12:39 PM in COLORADO SPRINGS
- 12:40 PM in DENVER
- 12:41 PM in FORT COLLINS
This is also where skies are likely to be clearest - but, with a storm system on the way by Monday, you'll want to check back in later this week.
ECLIPSE TRACKER
Where to go:
Several local astronomy groups are hosting watch parties for the eclipse. Here's a list of some of them. If you know of one that isn't on the list, let us know.
- Chapin Mesa Museum
- Morefield Campground Amphitheater
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science
- Deer Creek Canyon Park
- Columbine Library
- Chatfield State Park
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