What to Know about Monday's Solar Eclipse in Seattle
Stop us if you've heard this one before: a major celestial event is visible from the United States. Yes, a solar eclipse is happening again, but the phenomenon that occurs in Seattle won't be as noticeable as the one from 2017. Here's what you need to know.
What is the 2024 eclipse?
An eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, completely blocking the sun. "The total eclipse is the holy grail of eclipses," says Stephanie Anderson of Seattle astronomy store Cloud Break Optics.
Eclipse viewing means seeing a partially obscured sun and a dimming landscape, though within totality the moon totally blocks the sun and a spooky ring of sun dances around a dark circle. It's trippy, and has inspired art since ancient times.
Where will it be visible?
Any eclipse looks different depending on where you are. Think of going to a concert; the people with center seats may see the singer superimposed in front of the drum kit and drummer, but the folks on the far ends of the aisle will view the two musicians at an angle, far apart from each other. On the last go-round, Oregon was the closest location with the good seats, and the state saw a million visitors stream in, many from Washington.
NASA created a map to show the band of totality, or where the moon will be centered. This time the band of totality goes from Texas to Maine, with totality happening in big cities like Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Buffalo. This eclipse works out to have a wider band, with even more people residing in it—almost 32 million folks in the US will simply have to look up, almost three times what it was when 2017's eclipse was visible through some empty parts of the American West.
What will the 2024 eclipse look like in Seattle?
Listen, we have Julio Rodríguez, ferry boats, and no state income tax. The cosmic trade-off is that the eclipse isn't as exciting here in Washington, even less so than it was last g0-round. Seattle sits at about 20 percent totality, down a lot from our 92 percent in 2017.
That means we will see a partial eclipse, something like a golf ball rolling past the hole and denying you the birdie. That roll begins at 10:39am on Monday and will peak at 11:29am, ending at 12:21pm. And that's only if it's not cloudy here.
But the upside is that we won't get the rush of traffic that comes with being in the path of totality. Oregon's detailed response summary from 2017 outlined the intense planning needed to avoid gas shortages, traffic jams, and forest fires. Models suggest that Texas and Indiana will be most infused with tourists on Monday.
Do we need eclipse glasses this time?
If you plan to look at the sun, indeed you do. Called solar viewers, the dark material protects eyes from damage. Legit eclipse glasses should adhere to the ISO 12312-2 international standard. Ballard's Cloud Break Optics sells glasses that are guaranteed to be legit.
Oh, and those 2017 glasses you kept as a souvenir are still good if they don't have pinholes or tears—but probably should be replaced if they were shoved under the wobbly leg of a table for the past seven years.
You can take off the glasses during totality or if you're like Donald Trump, who famously looked straight at the sun during his presidency.
When is the next total solar eclipse?
Not to be the bearer of bad news, but hanging out in Seattle is not a recipe for spotting the dramatics of a total solar eclipse; none occur for the next 50 years. America's next brush with the phenomenon is in 2044, and even then it's only parts of Montana and the Dakotas.
Still, eclipse travel is a thing; the 2028 event in Australia already has a $14,500 tour planned, led by a NASA astronomer who's seen nearly 100 of them. Sounds warmer than a trip to Buffalo.
