PARIS- Get ready. It’s coming.
People from across the United States will travel to Arkansas next spring to get a good view of the solar eclipse that is predicted to occur on April 8, 2024. Arkansas, specifically, Western Arkansas will be a prime location to view the eclipse. Businesses, residents, and other organizations are planning now for a significant influx of travelers to Logan County and the surrounding areas.
According to the website, eclipse2024.org, “The total solar eclipse visits Arkansas on April 8, 2024 beginning at 1:45 pm CDT with the final exit of the Moon’s shadow from the state at 2:00 pm CDT. Through Arkansas, the speed of the Moon’s shadow will accelerate from about 1700 miles per hour to about 1850 miles per hour.”
For a computer simulation on what we can expect to see on the day of the eclipse, click on this link to see the path and phases of the eclipse that is expected on April 8, 2024 in Paris: Paris, AR – 2023 eclipse simulator | eclipse2024.org
Referred to by some as “The Great North American Eclipse”, the Moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun and will briefly block the light of the Sun. The maximum eclipse, or total blockage of the Sun’s light, is expected to occur over Mexico. When it occurs, it will be the first total eclipse over the country of Mexico since 1979. It will also be the only total solar eclipse over North America in this century and will be the last until 2045.
The unknown variable will be cloud cover during the spring month of April. Unpredictable cloud cover and rain could be a factor. In Canada and the Northern United States, snow fall is still a possibility in April, so, weather will certainly be the wild card leading up to this big astrophysical event.
A migration of viewers is expected to the local area and will create a need for lodging, parking areas for cars and recreational vehicles, as well as a possible boost to the local economies as travelers will frequent stores, gas stations, restaurants, etc. Certainly, more will become clearer in the expected impact on the towns of Western Arkansas as time draws nearer.
RNN will bring you updated stories on this once in a lifetime event throughout the next several months leading up to the big day. In the meantime, you may want to brush up on your science and your music, i.e., Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart”…just saying!
