Look up at the sky on Saturday, Oct. 14 (with your solar-viewing glasses on, of course) for the chance to see a partial solar eclipse over Greater Cincinnati.
The partial eclipse, called the annular eclipse, will cross over North, Central and South America, with parts of Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas really getting a show. That swath will be in the 90% coverage path of the eclipse, where the moon appears just slightly smaller than the sun, creating a glowing halo effect in the sky. Cincinnati astronomer Dean Regas, formerly of the Cincinnati Observatory, says he will be viewing the eclipse from Roswell, New Mexico, which is in that highest-coverage path.
As for Greater Cincinnati, we’re in the path of 40-45% coverage, according to NASA. Regas says the timeline for viewing the annular eclipse here looks like this:
- Partial eclipse begins at 11:42 a.m.
- Max eclipse (sun will be 53% eclipsed, according to Regas) at 1:05 p.m.
- Partial eclipse ends at 2:32 p.m.
And that won’t be the last big sky event Cincinnati will get to see in the near future. On April 8, 2024, a rare total solar eclipse will pass over the U.S. The sun will be fully obscured by the moon, causing a visible solar corona to the naked eye for a few precious minutes that day. In full-blazing glory, the path of totality, where onlookers can experience total darkness and optimal brilliance, will be only a short drive from Cincinnati.
According to the eclipse2024.org's interactive map, the path of totality from the eclipse will arch through much of southern and eastern Indiana and through western and northern sections of Ohio. Local onlookers will have the shortest drive to total darkness when visiting Harrison, Ohio, just 25 minutes from Cincinnati's downtown. Barring bad weather, the full eclipse will last around one minute and 40 seconds in Harrison. (Technically, Blue Jay, Ohio is the closest Cincinnati will get to the total eclipse, but you'll sacrifice a minute of total darkness, which you could get by driving just eight minutes up the road to Harrison).
If you plan on viewing either of these eclipses, you’ll need solar-viewing glasses to protect your eyes. You can find a list of American Astronomical Society-approved vendors here.
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