How Much Of The Upcoming Total Solar Eclipse Will West Michigan Experience?
I'm excited about this, in a few weeks, we'll experience something that hasn't happened in the U.S. since 1979, that's 38 years! Monday, August 21st, America will experience a total eclipse.
Here’s the deal, not everyone’s going to see a total eclipse, which will only last about two and a half minutes. Most of the country will see it happen, but it will still be somewhat light out; the total eclipse path is only about 70 miles wide and will travel from the northwest to the southeast passing through Oregon, Wyoming, Kansas City, Nashville, and Charlotte before heading out to the Atlantic Ocean.
So how much will we see? And how far do you need to travel to see the total eclipse? Well, there’s a website that tells you that!
Vox.com has a map that will show you answers to both of those questions! When I put in my zip code 49504 (NW Grand Rapids), here’s what it showed.
The eclipse will peak at 2:22:03 pm EDT, when the moon obscures 80.7% of the sun.
The website also said to see the total eclipse you’d need to drive 378 miles southwest, which would put you in St. Louis, Missouri. Which is definitely NOT a bad place to have to visit. But like I said, we’ll see about 80% of the eclipse here in West Michigan, which is still going to be cool!
If you’re traveling or have family in different places around the country and want to see how much of the eclipse they’ll experience check the link below.