Solar, annular eclipse coming June 20

Now that restrictions related to the COVID19 pandemic have been relaxed, I imagine a lot of folks are out and about. Perhaps you are walking more, going to the park again, or even taking trips to some of our state's great outdoor attractions.

Here's a trip idea: walk to the top of Mt. Everest, the tallest point on Earth. Or to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the lowest point on Earth. Think those are impossible walks? Of course they are, but you can walk a simulation of those trips.

The summit of Mt. Everest is five and a half miles above sea level. That would be about the same as walking north along May Avenue from Reno to Grand Boulevard. The average person walks two to three miles per hour, so such a walk would only take about two hours.

The Mariana Trench is just under seven miles deep, about the same as walking south on May from Reno to SW 104th street, a walking trip taking less than three hours. When you get there, you can turn around and walk north for five hours all the way back to Grand, and you will have covered the entire vertical variation in the geography of planet Earth. That doesn't seem so far when you think of it like that.

How about we go even farther, to the edge of space? By general agreement, space scientists define the edge of space, what's known as the Kármán Line, as 62 miles above sea level. I know I could not easily walk that far. And, even if I could, it would take me more than a day to do so.

So, let's drive. Hop in your car and drive west along Interstate 40 from Oklahoma City to Weatherford, a bit less than half-way to the Texas Border. You passed the Karman Line at Hydro and are now 10 miles into space. Keep driving on to Amarillo and you've reached the cruising altitude of the International Space Station. Who knew that if you turned west at the Amarillo Junction, you'd be heading to the ISS?

Upcoming solar eclipse

At 3:43 p.m. on June 20th, the sun is as far north as it will be for the year, marking the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. That day, we will experience 14 hours, 34 minutes of daylight.

A few hours later, just after midnight, the new moon passes in front of the sun, creating a solar eclipse. The moon is a bit farther away than average, so this time, it won't quite cover the entire disk of the sun. A bright but thin ring of sunlight, called an annulus, will surround the dark disk of the moon, creating what astronomers call an annular eclipse.

But note the time of the eclipse. The sun will be over India, so we here in Oklahoma will see none of this eclipse. Oklahomans will get to experience a few partial solar eclipses over the next few years, but on April 8, 2024, a beautiful total solar eclipse passes over the southeastern corner of Oklahoma.

Planet visibility report

As June begins, Venus is lost in the sun's glare and Mercury, which has been in the evening twilight, slowly crawls back towards the sun. Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn all grace the sky in the earlier morning hours. Throughout the month, all three rise earlier and earlier. By the month's end, Jupiter and Saturn rise before midnight, and Mars shortly after midnight. Venus becomes the brilliant “Morning Star” while Mercury hides in the sun's glare. Full moon occurs on June 5 with the new moon and the solar eclipse coming on June 21.