Will I See The Total Solar Eclipse In Tampa?
Though FL isn't in the path of totality, excitement is building in Tampa for the April 8 solar eclipse. The April 8 total solar eclipse is set to occur in Tampa, Florida, with a path of totality extending from Texas to Maine. In Tampa, the moon will cover about 57.9 percent of the sun at the peak of the eclipse, according to a NASA map. Various organizations and venues are hosting eclipse-viewing events throughout the greater Tampa Bay area. The museum will host a group viewing at Crescent Lake Park and the Arthenia L. Joyner Library will offer free entry to its planetarium, while libraries in the Pinellas County Library Cooperative will host eclipse viewing parties, including St. Petersburg College Planetarium at the Gibbs Campus, and 78th Street Library. The total eclipse starts in Mexico and travels through several states before exiting continental North America.
Published : a month ago by Tiffany Razzano in Science
TAMPA, FL — Excitement is building in Tampa for the April 8 total solar eclipse. We’re not among some 32 million Americans living in the path of totality, but neither will we miss out on the celestial sensation.
In the United States, the path of totality extends from Texas to Maine, but each of the 48 continental states will see some of the solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon slips between our bright star and Earth. In Tampa, the moon will cover about 57.9 percent of the sun at the peak of the eclipse, according to a NASA map that is searchable by ZIP code. Here are the details:
Partial eclipse begins: 1:43 p.m.
Maximum: 2:59 p.m.
Partial ends: 4:14 p.m.
The eclipse will last about 2 hours and 31 minutes from beginning to end in Tampa. Various organizations and venues are hosting eclipse-viewing events throughout the greater Tampa Bay area, including:
The museum will organize a group viewing of the eclipse at Crescent Lake Park at 2:45 p.m. After the eclipse, attendees are encouraged to explore the museum’s planetarium, which offers free entry to members that day. Non-members will pay a standard fee.
The Arthenia L. Joyner Library will host a viewing party for children ages 6 to 12. The 78th Street Library will also stream the movie “Dune” from 3 to 6 p.m. This eclipse viewing party includes crafts and activities, such as constructing a viewer and experiments with UV beads. A limited number of eclipse glasses will be available.
There will be hands-on activities starting at 2 p.m. in the Primary Colors Amphitheater. Each ticket includes a pair of solar eclipse glasses. Cost is $18.50 per adult and $14.50 per child. The library will begin distributing eclipse-viewing glasses at 1:45 p.m. The first 2,500 people at this viewing party on Clearwater Beach will receive collectible eclipse glasses.
Various libraries in the Pinellas County Library Cooperative are hosting eclipse viewing parties, including: St. Petersburg College Planetarium at the Gibbs Campus in St. Petersburg The SPC planetarium will host a free public viewing of the eclipse. Eclipse viewers and specially equipped telescopes will be available in the “quad” area of the St. Petersburg/Gibbs campus, near the Natural Science building, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
• Related: You Must Protect Your Eyes, Regardless Of Eclipse Totality: What You Need Right now, it looks like we could have a clear day with no chance of rain and low cloud coverage for the big event, according to NASA.
The total solar eclipse starts in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as small parts of Tennessee and Michigan, before entering Canada in southern Ontario through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton before exiting continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada.