Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 29
occasional cold front that sweeps southward out of Texas
brings considerable cloudiness to the plateau but doesn't cross
the mountains to reach Mazatlán.
Beyond Torreón, the eclipse track rises over the eastern
Sierra Madres and descends onto the Gulf Coast lowlands,
reaching the Rio Grande and the Texas border. Here, we
encounter a new menace: fog and low cloud that move inland
from the Gulf of Mexico, sometimes flooding the low-lying
landscape far enough inland to cover the entire eclipse track.
Satellite observations show that the average monthly cloudiness
more than doubles between Torreón and Piedras Negras,
to just under 50%.
Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas
The umbral shadow fords the Rio Grande and enters Texas
at 18:30 UT (13:30 CDT). Although the central duration is
beginning to decrease, it still clocks in at a generous 4m 27s.
The eclipse track crosses Texas diagonally from the southwest
to the northeast. Among the larger cities in the path are
San Antonio (on the southern limit), Austin (1m 43s), Waco
(4m 12s), Dallas (3m 51s), Fort Worth (2m 32s), and Texarkana
(2m 22s). Houston, the largest city in Texas, is located 200 km
outside the path and experiences a partial eclipse in which
the Moon covers 94.3% of the Sun's diameter.
Approximately 12.8 million people live in the eclipse
path through Texas. In comparison, the population living
within the entire path through the U.S. is approximately
31.8 million.
Leaving the Lone Star State, the lunar shadow cuts across
the southeastern corner of Oklahoma. Broken Bow
lies 14 km north of the central line and can expect
4m 17s of totality. Approximately half of Arkansas
lies within the path, including the capital city of
Little Rock, which is located within 18 km of
the path's southern limit. The city will experience
a total eclipse lasting 2m 26s.
Within the U.S., Texas weather offers
the best clear-sky prospects for the event,
according to cloud-cover records of the
past 22 years. Even so, Lone Star State
prospects are not particularly enticing
- satellite observations show an average
cloudiness of around 45% near the
Mexico border and 55% at the Oklahoma/Arkansas
line.
Aside from the usual cold fronts coming
from the north and jet-stream cloud
from the southwest, this region also has to
uFROM THE PACIFIC TO THE ATLANTIC Over
the April 8, 2024 eclipse's total duration of 3 hours
15 minutes, the Moon's shadow travels along a
14,800-km (9,200-mi) strip that extends from the
Pacific to the Atlantic. The percentage lines refer to
the eclipse magnitude, which is the fraction of the
Sun's diameter covered by the Moon.
Eclipse
ends at
sunrise
contend with moisture invading from the Gulf of Mexico.
South or southeasterly winds carry Gulf moisture onto the
coastal plains, flowing across low elevations onto the eclipse
track. Large sheets of stratus cloud may form overnight
and may or may not break up into afternoon cumulus
clouds when the Sun returns the next day. If Gulf moisture
arrives as a shallow layer with light winds, stratus clouds
Eclipse-Planning Essentials
Authors Fred Espenak and Jay Anderson have collaborated
on many eclipse-related publications for
nearly 30 years. Now retired, they've reunited to
publish Eclipse Bulletin: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024
April 08. It's filled with tables, charts, maps, weather
data, and eclipse circumstances for hundreds of
cities. Go to eclipsewise.com/pubs/EB2024.html for
more information.
Separately, Espenak has published Road Atlas for
the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024, a book of detailed
road maps covering the entire path from Mexico to
Newfoundland. The track is plotted in 30-second
steps, making it easy to estimate the duration of
totality from any location along the eclipse path. For
details, visit eclipsewise.com/pubs/Atlas2024.html.
Eclipse
begins at
sunset
Maximum
eclipse at
sunset
Greatest
eclipse
sk yand tele scope .o r g * APRIL 2023 29
17:30 UT
17:00 UT
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S&T ILLUSTRATION, SOURCE: FRED ESPENAK
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http://www.eclipsewise.com/pubs/EB2024.html
http://www.eclipsewise.com/pubs/Atlas2024.html
https://skyandtelescope.org/
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR
Contents
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 1
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - Contents
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 3
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 4
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 5
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 6
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 7
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 8
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 9
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 10
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 11
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 12
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 13
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 14
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 15
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 16
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 17
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 18
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 19
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 20
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 21
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 22
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 23
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 24
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 25
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 26
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 27
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 28
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 29
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 30
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 31
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 32
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 33
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 34
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 35
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 36
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 37
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 38
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 39
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 40
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 41
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 42
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 43
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 44
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 45
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 46
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 47
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 48
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 49
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 50
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 51
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 52
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 53
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 54
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 55
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 56
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 57
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 58
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 59
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 60
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 61
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 62
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 63
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 64
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 65
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 66
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 67
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 68
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 69
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 70
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 71
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 72
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 73
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 74
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 75
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 76
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 77
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 78
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 79
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 80
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 81
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 82
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 83
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - 84
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - Cover3
Sky & Telescope - April 2023 QR - Cover4
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