Moment of magic in the skies today
It’s the magic of geometry.
The moon passes in front of the sun at just the right distance from the Earth to block the sun and create a total solar eclipse.
A big part of that magic involves what parts of the world get to fully experience an eclipse.
On average, total solar eclipses occur about once every 18 months. But today’s eclipse marks the first time in 627 years that San Antonio has been on the path of totality for a solar eclipse.
A record high of 31 million people in the United States, including 12 million in Texas, will get to experience a total solar eclipse in their hometowns, which is why many are calling it the Great American Eclipse.
For San Antonians, this will be our one shot at the path-of-totality experience, and you can sense the excitement: eclipse viewing parties, restaurant eclipse specials and even an eclipse rodeo.
In Waco, the city’s symphony scheduled a special eclipse-eve performance of music from science-fiction films.
There’s something reassuring about so many people getting excited about a scientific phenomenon.
Among other things, the eclipse will be a tourism boon for Texas.
For the solar eclipse of 2017, the population of Hopkinsville, Ky., one of the communities on the path of totality, spiked from 30,000 to 140,000. That tourism brought an estimated $28.5 million into Hopkinsville’s economy.
Back in 1977, 865 passengers paid between $765 and $1,715 apiece to board a cruise ship that pulled out of Los Angeles so they could view the total solar eclipse from a prime spot in the Pacific Ocean.
What can we expect?
In San Antonio, the partial start of the eclipse will begin at 12:14 p.m. and end at 2:55 p.m.
The total eclipse will begin shortly after 1:30; how long it will last depends on where you’re located. The northwest quadrant is the optimal part of the city to experience the eclipse.
During the eclipse, the sky will darken. Temperatures will drop. Birds will stop singing. For those in the path of totality, the corona, the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere, will be visible around the edges of the moon.
Enjoy the eclipse, but remember to protect your eyes. During the partial eclipse, use eclipse glasses and don’t look directly at the sun. Don’t try to view the eclipsed sun through a camera.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, offers this guidance for eclipse watchers: “Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the moon completely blocks the sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing.”
Thomas Troland, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Kentucky, recently told the Lexington Herald-leader that a total solar eclipse is “the most spectacular event in nature that can be predicted.”
San Antonio gets a front-row view of that spectacular event.
The total solar eclipse is a once-in-a-lifetime event — don’t miss it