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SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns and millions of Americans across the country will be able to step outside and watch as the moon passes in front of the sun during the late morning and early afternoon of this Monday, April 8.
Here's how Utahns can safely enjoy the cosmic event and what they can expect on the day of the eclipse, which will partially block the view of the sun from the state.
KSL.com will also carry a video livestream of the total solar eclipse Monday as seen from Torreon, Mexico.
A lucky group of Americans living within a belt spanning from Mexico to Maine will be able to experience a total eclipse for about three or four minutes where the moon will nearly completely cover the sun. This belt of land is referred to as the path of totality and includes major U.S. cities including Buffalo, New York; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Dallas.
"I mean, I think you can get a plane ticket to Little Rock for about $700 right now," quipped John Armstrong, director of the Ott Planetarium at Weber State University. Jokes aside, Utahns will still be able to experience the phenomenon on Monday, just to a lesser degree than those who find themselves fortunate enough to be viewing the full eclipse on Monday from within the path of totality.
What will watching the partial solar eclipse be like for Utahns?
According to Armstrong, those in Salt Lake City will be able to experience the solar eclipse on Monday at 48.4% totality, meaning that 48.4% of the sun will be blocked from view by the moon during the eclipse. Those in southern Utah will be able to experience the solar eclipse at a slightly higher totality: St. George will experience 52% totality and those in the southeastern corner of the state in cities such as Blanding may be able to experience up to 60% totality, he said.
"It's going to get a little bit cooler and a little bit darker," Armstrong predicted, speaking about the conditions Utahns can expect when they go out on Monday to experience the cosmic event. "It looks like it's going to be a little cloudy up here in (northern Utah), but as long as it's not completely overcast, we should be able to see something."
For an up-to-date forecast in your location, check the KSL Weather Center.
Utahns will have plenty of time to come out and observe the solar eclipse on Monday as the event will take its course over roughly two hours. Utahns can expect the solar eclipse to begin in the 11:00 hour as the moon begins to pass in a path that will begin to obscure the sun. Around 12:30 p.m. is when many Utahns can expect the eclipse to be at maximum totality; however, the phenomenon will remain observable until about 1:30 p.m.
The eclipse's path will take it from southwest to northeast. In southern Utah, the partial eclipse will begin to become visible at 11:19 a.m. in Blanding and peak at 12:30 p.m.; in northern Utah in Tremonton it will start at 11:27 a.m. and reach maximum totality at 12:33 p.m.
To check exact eclipse times where you are, enter your city at timeanddate.com/eclipse and select "Partial solar eclipse: April 8, 2024."
Eclipse glasses and protecting your eyes
According to NASA, those planning to view a solar eclipse should plan on doing so with the proper protective eyewear. NASA warns that unless you are looking at the sun during the brief 3-4 minutes of complete totality during a solar eclipse, onlookers should use solar viewing glasses — otherwise known colloquially as eclipse glasses.
"It fries your eyeball, to put it crudely," said Patrick Wiggins, a NASA/JPL solar system ambassador to Utah and lifelong astronomer, explaining how badly the sun can damage your eyes. "A friend of mine, when he was a kid, looked at a sun and he damaged one eye and ended up having partial vision in that eye — and he's had to live with that for more than 70 years!"
Eclipse glasses are thousands of times darker than traditional sunglasses, so onlookers should never use the latter to look directly at a solar eclipse during any stage of a solar eclipse or risk serious damage to the eyes.
"I know of a couple of places that ran out of the glasses," Wiggins said when asked if there are any local vendors that are still selling eclipse glasses. On the bright side, if Utahns haven't secured new eclipse glasses, Wiggins said that as long as they aren't damaged, it is perfectly OK for onlookers to use eclipse glasses that they've used in previous years.
Enjoying the eclipse safely
Suppose you find yourself without access to eclipse glasses once the eclipse begins. In that case, there is no need to fret because you will still be able to use an indirect viewing method to safely observe the solar eclipse.
One of the easiest ways to observe the eclipse indirectly is by taking an object with a hole or multiple small holes in it, like a notecard with a small hole punched through it or a pasta colander, and letting the light from the eclipse pass through those holes and project onto the ground or a flat surface.
"A colander makes a great eclipse projector," Wiggins explained. "You don't look through the holes of colander at the sun, you let the light go through the holes and down onto the ground where you will see a myriad number of eclipses — this is a simple way of seeing the eclipse in action without damaging your eyes."
Wiggins also explained that the same indirect viewing method can really be replicated with any object that has tiny holes in it. Additionally, both Higgins and Armstrong both cited viewing the eclipse shadow projected through the leaves of a tree as being another excellent way to safely and indirectly observe the solar eclipse.
"Make some astronomical memories," Wiggins said, explaining that this is an out-of-this-world opportunity to get kids interested in space and scientific observation.
