IT'S COMING IN 2017.
ITS GOING TO BE H-U-G-E !!!!
ONCE.. AND THIS IS REALLY REALLY ONCE IN A LIFETIME. (Most lifetimes never see it)
ALL PARENTS WILL FEEL WEIGHT OF THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR CHILDREN WILL NOT MISS IT !!
SO HUGE, IT WILL DRAW MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, FROM EVERY SINGLE CORNER OF THE WORLD TO A SMALL AREA IN THE MIDDLE SOUTH BELLY OF RURAL AMERICA USA .
THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS 1918, AND WASN'T NEARLY AS GOOD CIRCUMSTANCES AS THIS ONE WILL BE!
MANY WILL EVEN BRING THOUSANDS OF $s WORTH OF TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT FOR DELVING DEEP INTO THIS PHENOMENON !
(Sorry bout the caps but believe me..it's big.)
Now, not later, is the time to prepare for IT.
'IT' is :
THE GREAT AMERICAN COAST TO COAST TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF 2017
August 21, 2017 it begins...
The eclipse is best viewed along what's called the"path of totality," a narrow band about 90 miles wide that stretches across the U.S., from Oregon to South Carolina.
9AM, The moon just starts to cover the Sun, when viewed (with the proper eye protection) it looks as though some giant Sky Animal has taken a small nibble out of the side of the Sun .
First visible on the coast of Oregon, marked by the quaint coastal towns of Newport to the south, & Lincoln City to the north.
Both towns are in the path of totality, with the 'Centerline of the Eclipse' (which gives you slightly more, by a fraction of a second, length of totality) running perfectly between the two.
From Oregon, the Path Of Totallity heads east by south east through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky.....
Let's stop with these last 2 States for a moment.
The border between Illinois and Kentucky, From the City of Cape Girardeau to the western Kentucky Nature Resort Area known as 'Land Between the Lakes'.
This is the place of the longest duration of this total solar eclipse.
The place of longest duration is where all seasoned Eclipse Hunters strive to be at so they can enjoy the corona of the Sun, the effects of a dark night in the middle of the day, and the dancing diamond ring effect as it blocks, and then reveals, the Sun for the longest time.
Here at around 1:22 pm Totallity begins and lasts an impressive 2 Minutes & 40 Seconds !
There simply are not the words to describe the strange and inspiring effect of viewing a total solar eclipse in person.
Greater than viewing the Grand Canyon for the first time.
Imagine if the Grand Canyon only appeared once every 100 years, EXACT time predicted down to the Second, and it appeared from outer Space, and lasted 2 Minutes 40 Seconds.
Think anyone would show up to view it?
Many people who view one become Eclipse Chasers to view it again and again whenever they can.
So it's this beautiful vacation spot at Western Kentucky, The great fishing lakes, Kentucky lake & Lake Barkley. The heart of America, that will be the Crown Jewel of all the places to view America's Great Total Solar Eclipse of 2017. Reservations will be scooped up quickly if they're not already.
And bear in mind this is the very Northern tip of the area called 'Land Between the Lakes, Ky.
From Kentucky, it continues its East X S. East trajectory to Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and slips off the coast into the ocean of South Carolina.
So think about making plans as soon as you possibly can.
It's not just Americans will be here, all four corners of the globe will be represented by thousands and millions of people.
Here's wishing you a clear spot with no clouds August 21st, 2017.
Jay (Woody) Markland.
Ed Note:
Woody Markland is an accomplished amateur astronomer and Telescope Builder. His work can be seen Under the Dome of the Boonshoft Museum in Dayton Ohio or in the Observatory at John Bryan State Park, near Yellow Springs Ohio.
He has observed total solar eclipse in Baja and Aruba, annular eclipse in Northern Ohio.