A Total Solar Eclipse Will Be Visible Above Kentucky This Spring
By Will Suphan|Published January 15, 2024
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Will Suphan
Author
Will has been living in Arizona off and on for 30+ years in the Phoenix Metro and Tucson areas. He has traveled all over the state as well as having lived all over the Southwest. He's been writing for OnlyInYourState for one year and has previously written for Digital Journal. Will has a passion for travel and writing and combining the two is what he loves most. He loves solo international travel and has been to Thailand, France, Japan, and Cambodia.
Eclipses have long been fascinating natural phenomena that have filled us with a sense of wonder and curiosity for millennia. A total eclipse is even more intriguing, and we’re lucky that this coming spring, we will be fortunate enough to experience this for ourselves in Kentucky! However, it will only be in a small part of Kentucky that will include places like Paducahand Henderson. Let’s take a look at where we can see the total eclipse in Kentucky in 2024.
For the first time since 2017, a total eclipse will pass over a portion of Kentucky on April 8, 2024, and will be directly over Paducah at 2 p.m. and will be visible for one and a half minutes. Prior to 2017, the previous total eclipse in Kentucky was in 1869! We won’t have another one until October 17, 2153.
As seen on this eclipse map by National Eclipse, the centerline of the eclipse will miss Kentucky, however, the westernmost part of our state will still be able to view the totality of the eclipse for a brief time. The shadow of the moon will take four and a half minutes to traverse the earth! It’s such a brief phenomenon, yet so worth experiencing.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon crosses directly in front of the sun, and though the sky may look darker when this happens, it is important not to look directly at the eclipse with the naked eye. Make sure to get a pair of eclipse glasses to protect your eyes as the sun’s corona will still be visible. If you can’t get eclipse glasses, another safe way to view the eclipse is with a simple kitchen colander! This and other ways of indirectly viewing the eclipse can be found at NASA.
Sometimes an eclipse can fool wildlife into thinking night has fallen, and they may emerge from their sleeping places, but will likely return once the sun shines again in a few minutes. I wonder if we’ll see bats briefly flitting about, only to loop back to their resting places!
Paducah with be the best city in Kentucky to see the eclipse and there will be several places with solar eclipse gatherings to view it. Expect it to be crowded and get there early! Several city parks like Bob Noble Park, Kolb Park, Robert Coleman Park, and others will draw crowds. If you’re getting accommodations, be sure to book them early as they are sure to fill up quickly!
This eclipse will only be seen by 0.05% of the entire population of the Earth! That’s roughly 43 million people. We’re so lucky to live in Kentucky where we’ll get to be among the few who will get to see this eclipse! For many, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that won’t occur here for another 129 years!
Back in 2017, Paducah was also a hotspot for the eclipse, and it was a lovely way to bring people together to contemplate how we’re all one people on one planet and some things are the same for all of us, no matter what our differences may be. It takes our eyes off of the screens for a moment and allows us to just be human together. Plus, it just looks so cool!
Have you ever experienced a total eclipse in Kentuckybefore? Let us know all about it in the comments. Get up-to-date info on events and accommodation availability at the Paducah city website. Make sure to get preparedfor your road trip to western Kentucky for the eclipse. Check out the last time we had a solar eclipse in Kentucky in 2017.
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