Back-to-Back American Solar Eclipses!

In less than a year’s time, there will be 2 amazing eclipse-viewing opportunities! An annular eclipse on Saturday, October 14th, 2023 and a total eclipse on April 8th, 2024. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045. We are all ecstatic to be able to bring you programs, solar sun glasses and be a part of your thrilling experience.

Do you remember the total solar eclipse that crossed the continental United States from coast to coast on August 21, 2017? We hope you were in the 70-mile-wide path of totality, where the Moon completely blocked the Sun's bright face and turned day into night for a few minutes. The 2017 total solar eclipse was the first to touch the "Lower 48" since 1979 and the first to span the U.S. from coast to coast since 1918.

Can you believe it – another solar eclipse is coming on October 14? The Moon will again pass directly between Earth and the Sun — but this time it will not quite completely cover the solar disk, instead turning it into a thin "ring of fire." The Sun is never completely blocked by the Moon during an annular solar eclipse.

This annular eclipse will be visible within a roughly 125-mile-wide path from Oregon to Texas and on into Mexico and northern South America. The annular solar eclipse begins in Oregon at 9:13 a.m. PDT and ends in Texas at 12:03 p.m. CDT. All 49 continental U.S. states will experience at least a partial eclipse.

Cascade’s eclipse will be visible on Saturday, October 14 beginning approximately at 9:12:21 a.m. The Maximum eclipse will be visible at 10:28:01. The Partial then ends at 11:50:11. We will see a 68.24% coverage of the Sun.

We'll have a different type of solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. This time the Moon's dark central shadow, about 115 miles wide, will cross Mexico, sweep northeast from Texas to Maine, and then darken the Canadian Maritimes. A partial solar eclipse will again be visible to nearly everyone in North America fortunate to have cloud-free skies.

During a partial or annular (ring) solar eclipse, such as the one on October 14, 2023, there is no time when it is safe to look directly at the Sun without using a special-purpose solar filter that complies with the transmittance requirements of the ISO 12312-2 international standard. So, stop on by the Library and obtain your very own Solar Eclipse Sun Glasses.

Once again Cascade’s eclipse will be visible on Saturday, October 14 beginning approximately at 9:12:21 a.m. The Maximum eclipse will be visible at 10:28:01. The Partial then ends at 11:50:11. We will see approximately 68.24% coverage of the Sun.

The Library will be hosting a program with solar eclipse glasses free to the public and access to a solar eclipse telescope. Our program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and run throughout the eclipse activity Saturday October 14 in front of the Library. We will have water and refreshments available. Feel free to stop by for a minute or for the whole shebang.

And Don’t Forget our annual Booksale with the Friends of the Library on October 7 and 8 with all the delicious soup you can eat!!!