Scattered clouds in forecast for Monday's eclipse

After months of anticipation, people in 12 U.S. states will see a total solar eclipse Monday as the moon briefly passes in front of the sun.

In Arkansas, the eclipse will be a shade shy of total in the northeast, even shyer in the southwest.

The partial eclipse will peak shortly after 1 p.m. in Arkansas. The sun's obstruction will range from 97 percent in Piggott in the northeast corner to 82 percent in Texarkana in the state's southwest.

The National Weather Service in North Little Rock said clouds should be scattered and minimal Monday, allowing for a decent opportunity to see the event.

In Little Rock, the moon will begin crossing in front of the sun at 11:48 a.m., with the maximum coverage of 89 percent occurring at 1:18 p.m. The event will be over in the state's capital at 2:47 p.m.

In Piggott and Corning, the county seats in Clay County, 97 percent of the sun will be blocked.

Despite all but a sliver of the sun being obstructed, scientists warn viewers to use protective glasses and not stare into the sun during the astronomical show. People who look directly at the sun can damage their eyes.

"The sun is a million times brighter than the moon," said Carl Freyaldenhoven, a member of the Central Astronomical Society. "Even at 95 percent coverage, there's still 5 percent sunlight. It's still so many times brighter than the moon."

The solar eclipse has been promoted nationally, creating a sort of eclipse mania. It's even earned a name: The Great American Eclipse.

It's the first time in 99 years that much of the continental United States will experience a total solar eclipse. In a total eclipse in 1979, only a corner of Washington state experienced the full effect.

But, on June 8, 1918, an eclipse's path of totality stretched from Washington to Florida, cutting across the center of Arkansas.

This time in the continental U.S., the eclipse's 70-mile-wide path of totality will start in Oregon, cross the country and end in South Carolina. The rest of the country will see degrees of a partial eclipse.

Stores such as Wal-Mart, Walgreens and CVS have long sold out of the protective glasses viewers are urged to wear to watch it.

Other businesses also have profited from eclipse-viewing eyewear. Drew Dickerson, manager of Arkansas Welding and Industry in Benton, said he's sold out of the thick, green lenses used in welders goggles.

"We sold out first thing," he said of the $2 lenses. "We've had to turn people away."

The eclipse's fevered attention is driven by social media and the public's desire for something different, Freyaldenhoven said.

"It's fresh," he said. "Not many people can say they've seen a solar eclipse like this before.

"We want some good news for a change. People are tired of hearing about politics and things. This is a rare event that's been promoted everywhere."

Freyaldenhoven plans to drive to St. Joseph, Mo., to be in the path of darkness Monday. If he suspects clouds will dampen his viewing chances, he'll drive east to Ste. Genevieve, Mo., or west to Kansas, he said.

"It's worth going out to take a look at it," he said.

Jeff Robertson, dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, will head to his hometown of Topeka, Kan., to watch the sky darken.

He said a solar eclipse helped direct him toward a career in science. When he was a youngster, he watched a partial eclipse through arc welder shop glasses in his high school shop class. The event made an impact, he said.

Solar eclipses are rare because the Earth, sun and moon all have to line up exactly to produce one. Even though the moon revolves around the Earth monthly, it follows a "wobbly" path and when it is between the Earth and sun, its shadow often fails to touch the Earth.

It happens somewhere, usually over oceans, about once every 19 months.

Also, the sun's diameter is 400 times larger than the moon's, and it's 400 times farther from the Earth than is the moon. On Earth, the two appear to be the same size, so they have to line up exactly for a total eclipse to occur.

Before science could predict eclipses, the events startled and frightened people.

Ancient cultures believed that frogs, dragons and other critters were eating the sun as they watched the bite-shaped crescent begin to devour the orb. Some tribes banged sticks and rocks to scare the predator away from the sun, encouraged by their actions when the sun began reappearing.

Myths still abound that pregnant woman should lie down and avoid eating during an eclipse and that people with pacemakers should remain inside because of a fear of electromagnetic waves from the sun.

Those are all false, Freyaldenhoven said.

Animals will react to the event Monday.

Officials at the Little Rock Zoo and the Memphis Zoo will watch various animals to determine how the solar eclipse affects them. The Little Rock Zoo is asking its members to help observe the animals' reactions to the darkening of sky and the cooling temperature associated with an eclipse.

"Elephants are extremely intelligent," zoo spokesman Katy Holloway said. "They and the chimps will probably realize something is going on and react. It's up in the air about how armadillos will react."

Carbondale, Ill., has been proclaimed the center of Monday's eclipse because the time of totality will be longer there than anywhere else in the country. The town of 26,000 people has spent three years preparing for Monday's 2 minutes and 38 seconds.

"Three years ago, we learned this was coming to our town," said Jannika Lopez, the "eclipse administrator" of Carbondale Tourism. "We realized this was something big, and we had to jump on it."

Town officials expect as many as 60,000 people to flock to the southern Illinois town off Interstate 57 to stare skyward.

Hotels have long been booked up there, and Southern Illinois University has delayed its opening day of classes until Tuesday to accommodate the rush of visitors. School administrators will use the university's football stadium to show a live picture of the eclipse in its entirety.

The city will shut off its light sensors so when the town does go dark, the street lights won't turn on.

"I knew nothing about eclipses prior to this," Lopez said. "Now I feel confident about all the knowledge I need to know about an eclipse."

Other states also will welcome eclipse viewers. Lincoln City, Ore., will celebrate "first landfall" status as the moon's shadow touches the first U.S. town.

Grand Teton National Park also will be in the path of totality, and park officials in the Wyoming area are expecting it to be the busiest day since the park was established in 1929.

Kansas City, Mo.; St. Louis; Nashville, Tenn.; and Paducah, Ky., are preparing for an onslaught of visitors as well.

Freyaldenhoven plans to view the eclipse with about 5,000 others at Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph, Mo.

Arkansans shouldn't fret if clouds obscure the viewing Monday. There will be another solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, and the path of totality will stretch from Texas to Maine, clipping western Arkansas.

"If you miss this one, be patient," Robertson said. "Another one's coming."

State Desk on 08/20/2017

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Information about Eclipse times in Arkansas

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