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07/31/2017 – Ephemeris – Only 3 weeks to the eclipse (E – 21 days)
Ephemeris for Monday, July 31st. The Sun rises at 6:28. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 40 minutes, setting at 9:08. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 1:46 tomorrow morning.
Today is E minus 21 days. E stands for Eclipse, the Great American Eclipse that is. August 21st is the day the shadow of the Moon will completely cover the United States and most of North America. The path where the Moon will completely block out the face of the Sun, called the path of totality crosses the country from parts of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, to South Carolina. The path of totality is only 90 miles wide at most, and 600 miles or more from northern Michigan. From here the eclipse will start shortly before 1 p.m. and end around 3:40 p.m. The official viewing spot where there will be guides from the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will the public help view the eclipse will be at the Sleeping Bear Dunes Dune Climb.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
All 50 states will see some part of the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse. The face of the Sun will be totally covered by the Moon in the narrow band called the path of totality. Credit: NASA.
02/27/2017 – Ephemeris – The Great American Eclipse, August 21, 2017
Ephemeris for Monday, February 27th. The Sun will rise at 7:22. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 5 minutes, setting at 6:28. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 7:52 this evening.
We didn’t get a chance to see yesterday’s annular eclipse of the Sun, since it occurred mostly in the South Atlantic Ocean. But it’s a wake up call for those of us who chase the Moon’s shadow, that the Great American Eclipse is a bit less than 6 months away. August 21st to be exact. Here in northern Michigan the Sun will be 75% or so covered by the Moon at peak. For me it’s 100% or nothing. The path where the Sun will be totally eclipsed will run from Oregon to South Carolina. I’ve seen totality four times from 1963 to 1979 and accumulated 8 ½ minutes of time basking under the shade of the Moon. Well not basking, for those were hectic magical times, not to be missed. And come hell or high water I will strive to add another 2 plus minutes to that total.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
A screen cap of the map showing the path of totality of the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse from NASA’s eclipse page. Credit: NASA and Google Maps.
NASA’s Eclipse page: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 