Sky & Telescope - April 2023 - 30

MICHAEL ZEILER
Eclipse Preview
may barely reach San Antonio, blocked by the rising terrain
along the Balcones Escarpment (better known as Texas
Hill Country). On days with deep and persistent flows of
moisture, stratus clouds will spread across the eclipse track,
reaching far to the west on the Edwards Plateau and northward
across the coastal plains beyond Waco and Dallas into
Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The best weather in Texas is most likely to be found where
the eclipse track crosses the highest elevations. Measurements
of cloud cover from orbit give San Antonio an average
cloud cover of 56% in April, while Junction and Brady, in the
Hill Country near the western limit, record about 10% less.
Unfortunately, these latter two communities have relatively
short eclipse durations. From Waco to the Oklahoma border,
average cloud cover hovers around 55%, with little to recommend
one site over another. Texas-based eclipse chasers
should plan to set up near the central line or farther westward
along the Balcones Escarpment, avoiding the eastern
side of the eclipse track.
Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, and
Kentucky
The southeastern corner of Missouri, including Poplar Bluff,
falls within the totality track. This " Gateway to the Ozarks "
city will receive 4m 8s of totality. Nearby and along the path's
southern limit in Missouri, a meander in the Mississippi
30 APRIL 2023 * SKY & TELESCOPE
River brings a small point bar into the path. This tiny piece of
land is the only part of Tennessee to experience totality.
Cape Girardeau is Missouri's largest city in the path and
will be in the Moon's umbral shadow for 4m 6s. The central
line crosses the Missouri/Illinois border at approximately
19:00 UT (14:00 CDT). The path width is 186 km, the central
duration is 4m 10s, and the Sun's altitude is 57°. Carbondale,
Illinois, gets its second total solar eclipse in less than
seven years. If the city's name is familiar to you, it's probably
because it was a major destination in August 2017 thanks
to its position near the point of greatest eclipse. This time it
experiences 4m 8s of totality.
The southern half of Indiana, including Indianapolis,
stands in the umbra's path. Residents of the Hoosier State's
capital will be engulfed by the Moon's shadow for 3m 48s. It
narrowly misses several large cities nearby, including Memphis,
Tennessee (97.6%); St. Louis, Missouri (98.7%); and
Louisville, Kentucky (98.9%).
To the southeast, the path grazes the western edge of Kentucky
along the Mississippi border. The Bluegrass State's largest
town in the path is Paducah, where totality lasts 1m 35s.
Along the eclipse path in this region, large weather systems
become more and more important. Weather becomes
less local and more regional, and differences in cloud cover
from one location to the next are muted. The influence of
terrain grows as the shadow heads northward, but through
60%
80%
90%
N o r t h e r n li m it of to
o u t h e r n limit of to
90%
tality
Path of Tot
tality
lipse
80%
al Ec
70%
70%
S
Santa Fe
Del Rio
Chihuahua
Piedras Negras
Allende
Nueva Rosita
Sierra Mojada
Monclova
Gómez Palacio
Canatlan
Durango
Torreón
Cuencame
Guadalajara
Minneapolis
Des Moines
Chicago
St. Louis
Carbondale
Poplar Bluff
Paragould
Conway
Little Rock
Texarkana
Jonesboro
Memphis
Cape Girardeau
Jackson
New Orleans
Omaha
Oklahoma City
Hot Springs
Sherman
Denton
Dallas
Ft. Worth
Killeen
Temple
Austin
San Marcos
San Antonio
Eagle Pass
Houston
Arlington
Cleburne
Waco
Tyler
Monterrey
Tampico
Mexico City
Milwauk
Koko
Indiana
Terre Haute
Bloom
Evansville
Paducah
Nashville
Atlant
Phoenix
Papasquiaro
Mazatlán
Escuinapa
Sky & Telescope - April 2023

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