Update, 10:30 a.m. Saturday: The cloud forecast for Clarksville has gotten worse. We’re now expecting only partly sunny skies on Monday, with a high near 77. There’s a 20 percent chance of showers after 1 p.m.
Previously:
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – While it won’t be the total eclipse that Clarksville enjoyed in August 2017, the eclipse coming up on Monday, April 8, will be 97% there.
The event will begin at about 12:44 p.m. in Clarksville, according to NASA forecasts. Here’s a timeline:
- 12:44 p.m.: Event begins
- 1:28 p.m.: 50% coverage
- 2:02 p.m.: Maximum coverage, at 97.1%
- 2:36 p.m.: 50% coverage
- 3:19 p.m.: Event ends
The weather could spoil viewing plans. At this point, the National Weather Service is predicting mostly sunny skies and a high near 76. With luck, those clouds will stay out of the way.
Don’t forget, you will need solar glasses to safely view the solar eclipse.
What’s a solar eclipse?
A total solar eclipse happens when the moon lines up perfectly between the Earth and the sun at midday, blotting out sunlight. This full eclipse will last longer than usual because the moon will be just 223,000 miles from Earth, one of the year’s closest approaches, according to the Associated Press. The closer the moon is to Earth, the bigger it is in the sky from our perspective, resulting in an especially long and intense period of sun-blocked darkness.