Total Solar Eclipse: Where Do I Go?
You’ve probably heard by now that a solar eclipse will be sweeping across a swath of the United States on Monday, August 21st. We at 36U are excited about the Solar Eclipse of 2017 and finding the perfect place to view it in the path of totality!
If you’re close to the path of totality, you’ll want to be there to have the full experience of seeing the sky go dark in the middle of the day. The path of totality is the only place where you can see the famous corona.
Grand Tetons, Wyoming
According to the American Astronomical Society, “It takes about 90 minutes for the Moon’s dark shadow to cross the country, starting around 10:15 am Pacific time on the West Coast and ending around 2:45 pm Eastern time (11:45 am Pacific time) on the East Coast. When you hear someone say, ‘the total eclipse lasts 90 minutes,’ that’s what they mean. But that could be misleading: At any given location within the path of the Moon’s shadow, the total eclipse lasts at most 2 minutes 40 seconds — don’t be late!”
This site shows the path of totality in each state that this path crosses. Twelve states will have at least part of the state within this path. Look at your state to see where you need to be to have the full eclipse experience.
On this site you can look at specific cities in your state to see which ones have the longest eclipse durations when the sky will be dark and the corona will be visible. Even though the darkness won’t last very long, you’ll have the eerie experience of night during the middle of day for the lengths of time at the locations listed in these charts.
Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
We at 36U enjoy traveling, and our travels have taken us to several places along the path of totality of this eclipse. The Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, the Nine Mile Prairie in Lincoln, Nebraska, the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, the Superman Statue in Metropolis, Illinois, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, and the Cherohala Skyway in North Carolina all lie in the path of totality.
Look for a couple more 36U Solar Eclipse of 2017 blog posts before August 21st. We’ll be sharing some tips about eclipse viewing.
Total Solar Eclipse Part 1: Where Do I Go?
Total Solar Eclipse Part 2: What Do I Need?
Total Solar Eclipse Part 3: How to Plan
Cherohala Skyway, North Carolina
Metropolis, Illinois
University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
Nine-Mile Prairie, Nebraska