Total Solar Eclipse: How Much We’ll See In Arlington Heights

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Excitement is building in Arlington Heights for the April 8 total solar eclipse. We’re not among some 32 million Americans living in the path of totality, but neither will we miss out on the celestial sensation.

In the United States, the path of totality extends from Texas to Maine, but each of the 48 continental states will see some of the solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon slips between our bright star and Earth. In Arlington Heights, the moon will cover about 92.5 percent of the sun at the peak of the eclipse, according to a NASA map that is searchable by ZIP code.

Here are the details:
Partial eclipse begins: 12:51 p.m.
Totality begins: 1:33 p.m.
Maximum: 2:07 p.m.
Totality ends: 2:41 p.m.
Partial ends: 3:21 p.m.

The eclipse will last 2 hours and 30 minutes from beginning to end in Arlington Heights.

There will be a Solar Eclipse Viewing Party taking place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. April 8 at North School Park, N. Evergreen Avenue and Eastman Street, Arlington Heights. The event is being presented through a partnership between the Arlington Heights Memorial Library and the Arlington Heights Park District. To register, which ensures attendees will be given free glasses, check out the library's calendar.

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Right now, it looks like we could have some precipitation (80 percent chance) and cloudy skies (39 degrees) for the big event in Arlington Heights, according to NASA.

The total solar eclipse starts in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as small parts of Tennessee and Michigan, before entering Canada in southern Ontario through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton before exiting continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

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