TGVG Blog

Barlow SkyWatch: August 21 Solar Eclipse – The Home Stretch!

Mind Bending | July 1, 2017
partial eclipse wisconsin

By Alan J Peche, Director, Barlow Planetarium

There are three main types of solar eclipses:
partial, annular, hybrid & total

In my lifetime there have been 16 partial solar eclipses visible from the United States; most of these I got a chance to view, and many I got to share with others.

Annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is a little smaller than usual and can’t cover the complete Sun – kind of like a failed total solar eclipse. Of the 16, only two were annular in the United States: May 30, 1984 and May 10, 1994. Another two were total eclipses: March 7, 1970 (when I was 5 1/2 years old) with a path that went up the Eastern United States and February 26, 1979 (when I was 14) with path that swung through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota. I have literally been planning for the August 21 eclipse since I experienced my first professional partial eclipse on July 11, 1991 – 26 YEARS AGO!

The Place to Be

The path of this eclipse crosses the United States passing through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina. If you know anyone that lives in that path, plan on visiting them. However, don’t plan on traveling the day of the eclipse – IT IS PREDICTED THAT THE TRAFFIC NEAR THE PATH OF TOTALITY WILL BE THE EQUIVALENT OF MULTIPLE HURRICANE EVACUATIONS OCCURING AT THE SAME TIME! Plan to arrive a day or two before, and not leaving until the next day.

Eclipse-GlassesSafe Viewing

It is never safe to look at the Sun – the solar energy gets focused on your retina possibly causing permanent damage to your eye. To view the Sun safely the Barlow has available solar eclipse viewing glasses that block 99.99999% allowing safe direct viewing of the Sun. Glasses are available from the Barlow during normal box office hours for just $4 each!

What Will Happen

If you make the trip you will be awarded by experiencing a maximum of 2 minutes and 40 seconds of darkness – IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY! The stars and planets will come out – IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY! Temperatures will drop since the Sun will be blocked! Animals will attempt to get ready for sleep! Weather satellites will image the Moon’s shadow as it crosses the United States!

Viewing from the Fox Valley

If you can’t make the trip to the eclipse path, you can experience the partial eclipse from the Fox Valley. On Monday, August 21 the Moon will appear to start taking a bite out of the Sun at 11:52 am. By 1:16 pm, the Moon will cover 80% of the Sun. By 2:37 pm, the Moon will completely leave the Moon. To get the most of this experience, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PROPER EYE PROTECTION!


There are several excellent satellite events in July and August. Please like the Barlow’s Facebook page to receive the latest timings and star charts.

To get a SkyChart, visit the Skymaps link under the “Astronomy Resources” link at BarlowPlanetarium.org.

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