A partial solar eclipse is set to round out the month of April with a total lunar eclipse on the way next month, and though only one will be visible from Illinois, there are still ways to watch.
According to NASA, the partial solar eclipse on the evening of April 30 can be spotted amid clear skies in Chile, Argentina, most of Uruguay, western Paraguay, southwestern Bolivia, southeastern Peru and a small area of southwestern Brazil.
Along parts of the northwestern coastline of Antarctica, in the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern coast of South America, including the Falkland Islands, and in much of the South Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean, the eclipse will also be visible.
"A solar eclipse happens when the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth, fully or partially blocking the Sun’s light in some areas. During a partial eclipse, the Moon and Sun are not perfectly aligned, so the Moon does not completely cover the Sun. This gives the Sun a crescent shape, or makes it appear as if a 'bite' has been taken out of the Sun, depending on how much of the Sun is covered by the Moon," NASA said on its website.
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Timeanddate.com will carry a free livestream of the partial eclipse next weekend here.
Chicagoans could catch a rare sight next month though, as a total lunar eclipse will be visible in the Midwest in on May 15.
According to the Adler Planetarium, a Flower Moon will pass into Earth's shadow at 8:32 p.m. to create a total lunar eclipse.
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A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon is fully engulfed by the Earth’s shadow. Once totality begins, the Moon can appear reddish due to our atmosphere scattering away the bluer rays of the Sun’s light, just like the Sun appears reddish right before sunset. As our Director of Public Observing Michelle Nichols likes to say, “Think of a lunar eclipse as showing you the color of the collective sunrises and sunsets happening around the entire edge of the Earth at that exact moment.” Pretty cool, right?
May's Flower Moon is also called the Blood Moon by some due to the red color it gives off. However, that isn't unique to this year as the moon typically appears red during a lunar eclipse, the planetarium wrote.
This interactive map shows which stage of the eclipse will be visible from your location.
The planetarium noted that the eclipse will begin at 8:32 p.m., then move into a partial eclipse at 9:27 p.m. Totality is set to start at 10:29 p.m. and end at 11:53 p.m. The partial lunar eclipse will then end 12:55 a.m. on May 16.
In about two years, a total solar eclipse will also be visible from Illinois.
On April 8, 2024, the event will be the last visible total solar eclipse from the U.S. until 2045.
More 31 million people across 13 states — including Illinois — live in "the path of totality" for the event — meaning those places will see 100% totality.
According to the website nationaleclipse.com, in Illinois, the state of totality will begin on April 8, 2024 at 1:58 p.m. and end at 2:06 p.m.
In southern Illinois near Carbondale, the eclipse will be in the path of totality, meaning a total solar eclipse will be visible. The eclipse path map on timeanddate.com shows that in Chicago, the solar eclipse will only partially visible in Chicago, at 93.9%.
Check to see what the visibility will be in your city, here.
According to the Adler Planetarium, a solar eclipse can only occur at the New Moon Phase, when the arrangement in space is a line between the Sun, Moon, and Earth.
The moon, directly between the sun and Earth, casts a shadow on the planet, darkening the daytime sky. Those in the dark part of the moon’s shadow, the umbra, will experience a total eclipse, while those in the light part, the penumbra, will see a partial eclipse.
The period of totality refers to the time during a total eclipse when the moon completely obscures the sun. The period of totality is usually brief, lasting just a few minutes. Astronomy.com says the maximum period of totality for the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse is four minutes and 28 seconds.
The longest period of totality for the 2017 solar eclipse was quite a bit shorter, just about two minutes and 40 seconds, according to NASA.
