Total Eclipse Of The Heartland
It’s being billed as one of the most-significant astronomical events in our nation’s history.
On Monday, Aug. 21, the moon will make a rare pass directly between Earth and the sun, giving the United States its first total solar eclipse since 1979 and the first coast-to-coast eclipse in 99 years.
Moving in a diagonal and southeasterly direction at a speed of over 1,800 mph, the eclipse will begin near Lincoln Beach, Ore., at 9:05 a.m. (PDT), with totality beginning there at 10:16 a.m. (PDT).
Within 90 minutes, the 70-mile-wide path of totality will create brief periods of darkness and noticeable drops in temperature through portions of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The total eclipse will end near Charleston, S.C., at 2:48 p.m. (EDT).
Mills County is north of the path of totality but will still experience a 98-percent partial eclipse. Locally, the moon will begin covering the sun at 11:39 a.m. with maximum effect occurring around 1:05 p.m. The event will end in Mills County at 2:32 p.m.
The city of Glenwood is about 35 miles northwest of the only point of totality in Iowa - a 450-acre stretch of land on the extreme southwest corner of Fremont County near the Missouri and Nebraska borders.
The tiny area in Fremont County along the banks of the Missouri River has been dubbed The Iowa Triangle by eclipse chasers. The triangle is on the very edge of the strip of totality and will experience maximum effect for 25 seconds.
The Iowa Triangle takes in the Lower Hamburg Bend Wildlife Management Area, which will be the location of an eclipse watch site hosted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Shuttle bus transportation is being provided to the site from Marnie Simons Elementary School in Hamburg and the Fremont County Historical Museum in Sidney. A limited number of seats are available on both buses and must be reserved in advance by calling Hamburg Superintendent / Elementary Principal Mike Wells or the museum. Fremont County eclipse watchers also have the option of driving to the site, located southwest of Hamburg off of Interstate 29. Access is available by driving three miles west of Hamburg on 310th Street, one mile south on 240th Ave., and then one-half mile west on 322nd St. Parking will be available. All children must be accompanied by an adult and visitors are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to sit on.
Several communities in Nebraska and Missouri are in or near the center of the path of totality and will experience the full eclipse effect for around 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In southeast Nebraska, the cities of Auburn, Falls City, Beatrice, Crete and Lincoln are expected to be popular destinations for eclipse viewing while Mound City and St. Joseph will be prime locations in northwest Missouri.
No known eclipse-related activities have been announced in Mills County, but several special events are being planned across the river in eastern Nebraska, including “Dine In The Darkness” on the cobblestone streets of Falls City, “Partial Eclipse Adventure In The Wetlands” at Fontanelle Forest in Bellevue, a Lincoln Saltdogs “Eclipse at the Ballpark” baseball game and the three-day (Aug. 19-21) Saline Solar Show celebration in the Saline County communities of Crete and Wilber. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is encouraging patrons to come out and observe the reaction of animals during the eclipse.
Eclipse watchers are advised to wear American Astronomical Society and National Science Foundation - approved eclipse glasses when looking at the sun. More than 7,000 public libraries across the nation have been giving the glasses away free of charge. The Glenwood Public Library has already distributed its entire allotment of glasses.
Eclipse glasses are also being sold at several retail outlets, but many of the stores have also exhausted their supplies.
Glenwood optometrist Dr. Jacque Young said the threat of eye damage caused by looking directly at the sun without legitimate eye protection is very real.
“Due to the sale of counterfeit eye protection and a major potential of permanent loss of central vision, if you are not in the fully-eclipsed viewing area, when it is safe to view only at the fully dark eclipse time, watch on the Internet,” Young said. “I am not endorsing any specific eye protection.”
Several Internet sites and television stations will be airing live broadcasts of Monday’s eclipse event.