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Countdown to the Eclipse

Southern Illinois will experience the first of two solar total eclipses on August 21, 2017, with the second occurring April 8, 2024.

What is a total solar eclipse? A total solar eclipse is when the moon is directly between the Sun and Earth creating an umbra shadow on our planet. This will be the first total solar eclipse in Illinois since August 1, 1869. The last coast-to-coast solar eclipse was in 1918 and Illinois only witness a partial eclipse within the penumbra shadow.

Astronomers inform us that it typically takes 375 years for a single location on earth to experience a total solar eclipse, thus making Southern Illinois even more unique with a second total solar eclipse seven years later. The estimated number of visitors arriving in Southern Illinois to view this peak lifetime event is estimated to reach over 100,000 travelers.

On August 21, 2017, this eclipse will travel across the United States of America. In Illinois, the Moon’s shadow will sweep across the state in totality in just 3 minutes 43 seconds at a speed of 1,452 mph. Beginning on the coastal shores of Oregon, crossing the following 14 states and ending in the Atlantic Ocean off the shore of South Carolina at an estimate of 70 miles wide.

Oregon
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
Nebraska
Kansas
Iowa
Missouri
Illinois
Kentucky
Tennessee
Georgia
North Carolina
South Carolina

The actual time of this major attraction enters Illinois partially at 1:17pm, totality occurs at 1:20 p.m., and leaves as a partial by 1:27pm CDT on August 21, 2017. Carbondale, IL is only a few miles north from the point of greatest duration. The greatest duration will only last for a mere 2 minutes and 41.6 seconds.

We want this to be a great experience for everyone, so please be respectful to nearby businesses and residents. Do not park or congregate in places that would inhibit anyone else from enjoying the show.

During this time the local weather patterns include: