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Ephemeris: 10/13/2023 – Tomorrow’s solar eclipse

October 13, 2023 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Friday, October 13th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 7:01, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:56. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:45 tomorrow morning.

The safest way to view tomorrow’s solar eclipse is by projection, we call it pinhole projection, although the pinhole can be up to 1/4 inch in diameter and will cast a usable image of the Sun about 6 feet. My wife once used the mirror in her compact to reflect the Sun’s image onto the north side of a building across the street. It’s probably too late to buy them, but if you have any eclipse glasses leftover from the 2017 eclipse make sure they don’t have any pinholes in them. They can be used to view the eclipse. Make sure they are ISO approved. Still projection is your safest bet. For our area the eclipse will last from 11:42 am to 2:18 pm. I’ll be at the Betsie Valley District Library in Thompsonville for the eclipse. You’ll be in good shape for next April 8th total eclipse, whose path of totality will be much closer to us.

Jerry Dobek, Northwestern Michigan College instructor will be on campus with telescopes to view the eclipse on campus.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addenda

In case of clouds, I will still be at the Betsie Valley District Library with an alternate program of my experience with five previous total solar eclipses, and a look at some future eclipses. Being a NASA Solar System Ambassador, I’ll have some NASA stickers and other things to hand out to the kids, big or small.

The Moon and Sun at three instances from the Grand Traverse region: after first contact, mid-eclipse, and before last contact that ends the eclipse during the solar eclipse of October 14, 2023. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.

The next solar eclipse

The next eclipse visible from our area will occur on April 8, 2024, six months from now. It will be a total solar eclipse whose path of totality is within a day trip from our area, if it’s clear in Indiana or Ohio. I’ll have a lot more information as we approach April. On the Internet search for american eclipse 2024, or words to that effect. It’s always best to plan early.

The paths are maximum for eclipse for both tomorrow’s annular eclipse, going down from upper left to lower right and April 8th next year’s total solar eclipse the path from lower left to upper right. As you can see, the total eclipse path will pass through Indiana and Ohio among other states The path of totality will just clip Michigan’s southeastern corner, most of which is actually in Lake Erie. It is well within a day’s drive from Northern Michigan. However, the chances are for better weather the farther south one goes. That’s a statistical chance, but no guarantees.
Categories: Astronomical Event, Eclipses, Ephemeris Program, Solar Eclipse Tags: ,