The moon will pass between the Earth and sun on Monday, creating the second total solar eclipse above the United States in seven years.
While the Golden Triangle is not in the direct path of the moon’s shadow, area viewers will still see a partial eclipse.
“For the Golden Triangle, the eclipse starts around 12:30 p.m. local time, and it will conclude a little after 3 p.m.,” said Donna Pierce, an associate professor of astrophysics at Mississippi State University. “The peak of the event for us is going to happen just before 2 p.m., and at that point, approximately 90% of the sun will be covered by the moon.”
Pierce said the timing and percentage will be the same, give or take one minute, throughout the Golden Triangle.
A total solar eclipse happens when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, blocking the face of the sun. Places within the path of totality — the area where the moon fully covers the sun — will see a total eclipse. On Monday, that path will stretch from Texas to Maine. Places outside the deepest part of the moon’s shadow, like the Golden Triangle, will still see a deep partial eclipse.
“To see an eclipse in complete totality, you have to be in the deepest, most central part of the moon’s shadow,” Pierce said. “That deep part is only 170 miles wide.”
Before the Great American Eclipse in 2017, the last time a total solar eclipse happened was in February 1979. According to NASA, the next won’t be until 2044.
Pierce said the rarity of total eclipses is due to several factors, including the moon’s phases, size and distance from Earth. While there is no major significance to the short span of time between the 2017 and 2024 eclipse, she said, there are several differences between the two.
This year, the path of totality is wider than it was during the last eclipse because the moon is currently orbiting closer to Earth. The length of totality this year will last about twice as long as it did in 2017 for the same reason.
The other major difference between the 2017 and 2024 eclipses is the current stage of the sun’s solar cycle, Pierce said. When the sun is at the peak of the cycle, known as solar maximum, it has more sunspots, flares and prominences. The sun’s corona — the outermost ring of its atmosphere — is also more luminous.
“In 2017, we were between (solar maximum and solar minimum), but here in 2024, we’re close to solar maximum,” she said. “So we’re anticipating that the solar corona, which is the haze that you see during totality, is going to be more impressive than it was in 2017.”
Where to watch
In preparation for the eclipse Monday, Starkville Public Library is planning a viewing party at Fire Station Park on Lampkin Street in Starkville. Assistant Director Kara Roberts said the event will also give viewers an opportunity to be “citizen scientists” for the day.
The library is working with the Globe Observer app to send different types of data taken during the eclipse to NASA. Viewers can use the app during the eclipse to record different observations like the conditions of clouds and the temperature.
“We’re going to be taking air temperature and ground temperature during the eclipse, and we have to do that every 15 minutes,” Roberts told The Dispatch Thursday. “It makes a nice chart (that) shows the temperature going up and down during the eclipse and the effect that the eclipse has.”
Roberts said Starkville’s is one of only 10 libraries nationwide selected to gather the temperature data.
MSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy will host a viewing party alongside the College of Arts and Sciences and Office of Research and Economic Development. The viewing will run from 12:30 to 3 p.m. on the MSU Drill Field.
More than 1,000 gathered on the Drill Field in 2017 for the eclipse. Pierce, who works in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said the department is expecting a comparable crowd this year if not a larger one.
“We’ve also got more support from the university this time,” she said. “So we’ll be able to accommodate more people than we did previously.”
Eclipse glasses will be provided for the viewing party on a first-come, first-served basis. There will also be pinhole projectors, another safe observing technique, as well as telescopes and binoculars outfitted with high-grade solar filters that show a magnified view of the sun.
In case of rain or heavy cloud coverage Monday, the departments will have a live feed of the eclipse playing in the theater of the Bost building.
Proper eye protection
Except during the brief moments of totality, looking directly at the sun without specialized eye protection during a total solar eclipse can cause irreparable eye damage.
“Since we here in the Golden Triangle will not have totality at all, you have to use proper eye viewers at all times during the eclipse,” Pierce said. “No exceptions.”
There’s a combination of factors that lead to eye damage from looking at the sun during the eclipse. For one, the eclipse occurs when the sun is high in the sky, meaning there’s less atmosphere absorbing the harmful rays that can cause eye damage. Because there are no pain receptors behind the eyes, the viewer can suffer damage without being aware.
To safely observe the eclipse, use special solar viewers. The American Astronomical Society published a list of trusted manufacturers of approved glasses. These glasses should have the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code 12312-12 on the inside.
With the eclipse being right around the corner, there are also several local options for purchasing eclipse glasses.
Pierce said both Kroger in Starkville and Love’s Travel Stop in West Point are selling glasses made by approved manufacturers. Cracker Barrel and Kroger, both in Columbus, are also selling eclipse glasses.
Columbus-Lowndes Public Library gave away at least 700 pairs of eclipse glasses before running out Thursday morning.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
