Already, preparations are being made across the state. Hotel rooms in the path of the totality, the area of total eclipse, have been sold out for months. State officials estimate that millions could be visiting the state that day.
Though the Moon orbits the Earth every 28 days, the alignment of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun to produce an eclipse only happens rarely. Eclipses have been sighted for centuries. Among the earliest recorded eclipses occurred in ancient Mesopotamia in 1375 BC. Ancient Egyptians, who worshipped the Sun, were reportedly so disturbed by the bad omens associated with eclipses that they would never mention or write about them, fearing bad luck.
Historically, eclipses have been met with both fascination and dread. The Chinese believed that dragons were eating the Sun, causing an eclipse. Drums were beaten to drive them off, according to legend. Similarly, an old Choctaw legend held that a black squirrel caused solar eclipses when it tried to eat the Sun and that the people needed to make noises to scare it off. Cherokees believed that a giant frog jumped onto the sun to cause an eclipse and that the people must beat drums and make loud noises to scare it away. For generations, Navajos believed that they should not eat during an eclipse or they would experience digestive problems. Navajo traditions also warned against looking at the Sun during an eclipse, or they would go blind, a belief backed by modern science. The ancient Mayans, without benefit of calculators or computers, were able to carefully calculate when eclipses would occur.
Eclipses have also been an important tool for scientific discovery. Astronomers discovered a new comet during an eclipse in AD 418. The Sun’s corona was first noticed in an eclipse in 968. In the eighteenth century, solar prominences, eruptions on the Sun’s surface, were observed. These all helped give important information on how the Sun worked. The first eclipse photographed was in 1860. Eclipses in 1919 and 1929 helped confirm Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity by confirming that the light of stars traveling near the Sun was bent by the Sun’s intense gravity.
The totality will take a path stretching from Del Rio, which will reach totality at 1:30 up to Texarkana, which will see the totality at 1:56. The path of the Moon’s shadow will roughly run parallel to Interstate 35 north of San Antonio to the Metroplex and include the almost the entire path of Interstate 30. San Antonio will be on the eastern edge of the totality, seeing the maximum eclipse by 1:34. Austin will see the total eclipse by 1:37, followed by Waco at 1:40. Almost the entire Dallas-Fort Worth area will be plunged into darkness as the Moon’s shadow passes, including all of Dallas, Tarrant, Rockwall, and Collin counties by 1:42, with Denton on the northern edge of the totality. Even the extreme western and northwestern edges of the area such as Mineral Wells and Gainesville will see 98% coverage. The totality will cover the entire area between Sherman and Texarkana starting at 1:43.
Even people outside the totality will see a great deal of the eclipse. Along the Gulf Coast, viewers will see up to 93% of the eclipse, with Beaumont expected to see 94% at 1:40. On the northern side of the path of the totality, viewers will still see at least 83% of the Sun eclipse in the northwest Panhandle. Across the state, El Paso viewers will see 85% totality by 12:25 local time, Amarillo to see 87% eclipse by 1:40 and Lubbock to see 89% totality by 1:38. The line between San Angelo, Abilene, and Archer City will see 95% coverage. Wichita Falls will see 93% of the Sun obscured by 1:42.
The total time from the beginning of the eclipse until the end will be roughly two and one-half hours. A Dallas-are viewer will see the beginning of the eclipse at 12:23 and the end by 3:02. For Austin, it will begin at 12:17 and end at 2:58, with the peak at 1:37. At the mid-point of the eclipse, the totality will last between two and four minutes. From Texas, the long shadow of the Moon will then travel across Arkansas and Missouri and then to Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, and to Maine throughout the afternoon. Millions of Americans are expected to enjoy what is being called the “Great American Eclipse.”
Viewers should plan ahead to make sure the eclipse is viewed safely. Individuals need to remember that they should never look at the Sun directly. Even with most of the Sun obscured, the glare is too intense for the human eye to tolerate. Looking directly at the Sun is dangerous and could cause permanent eye damage and even blindness. Not even regular sunglasses or binoculars are safe. Darkened Welder’s glass is the only safe glass dark enough to view an eclipse through. Specially made eclipse glasses can allow for safe viewing, but NASA recommends that these eclipse glasses not be used if they are torn or scratched and that children’s viewing should be closely monitored. Even with eclipse glasses, people should not view the eclipse through telescopes, binoculars, or camera lenses. The classic pinhole projector will offer safe viewing: simply poke a small hole through one sheet of paper (poster board or cardboard can also work) and allow the fading sunlight to project onto another piece of paper.
With these precautions in place, the event promises to be a spectacular display of nature. As the Sun disappears behind the Moon, viewers will be able to see the features of the Moon. Lunar mountains and craters will allow only tiny pieces of the Sun to shine through, a phenomenon known as “Bailey’s Beads.” And the last piece of the Sun to disappear will shine brilliantly on the Moon’s edge, known as the “Diamond Ring Effect.”
NASA has unveiled a website for the eclipse, including tips on viewing the event safely at science.nasa.gov. Many communities are organizing eclipse viewing parties and events. The next major eclipse for Texas will be August 12, 2045.
