2024 Solar Eclipse: These Missouri and Illinois cities offer the longest totality
MISSOURI/ILLINOIS (KTVI) – To truly make the most of your experience around the April 8 solar eclipse, you will want to find somewhere in the path of totality.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the planet Earth. Totality happens during stages of the eclipse in which the moon’s shadow completely blocks the sun. Weather permitting, those in the path of totality will see the sky darken like a dawn or dusk color for a short period of time.
That’s not quite the case for St. Louis or most communities within the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area. However, to see the eclipse in totality, you won’t have to travel too far away.
2024 Solar Eclipse: These Missouri and Illinois cities offer the longest totality
Southeast Missouri and southern Illinois are considered prime spots for the eclipse. NASA projects somewhere between four to five minutes of totality for various cities within both states.
According to NASA’s projections on NationalEclipse.com, several cities, villages, towns and unincorporated communities in Missouri and Illinois will offer at least two minutes of totality come eclipse day. These are among them…
Missouri
CITY | COUNTY | TOTALITY TIME | TOTALITY BEGINS |
Doniphan | Ripley | 4:12 | 1:55:28 p.m. |
Poplar Bluff | Butler | 4:08 | 1:56:21 p.m. |
Cape Girardeau | Cape Girardeau & Scott | 4:06 | 1:58:22 p.m. |
Silva | Wayne | 4:02 | 1:56:46 p.m. |
Benton | Scott | 3:54 | 1:58:09 p.m. |
More cities with totality times beyond three minutes: West Plains, Van Buren, Malden, Dexter, Sikeston, Benton, Perryville
More cities with totality times beyond two minutes: Eminence, Mountain View, Kennett, Arcadia, Farmington
Illinois
CITY | COUNTY | TOTALITY TIME | TOTALITY BEGINS |
Alto Pass | Union | 4:09 | 1:58:57 p.m. |
Makanda | Jackson | 4:08 | 1:59:10 p.m. |
Carbondale | Jackson | 4:08 | 1:59:16 p.m. |
Marion | Williamson | 4:07 | 1:59:44 p.m. |
McLeansboro | Hamilton | 4:07 | 2:00:43 p.m. |
More cities with totality times beyond four minutes: Murphysboro, Benton, Mill Shoals, Fairfield, Carmi, Albion, Mount Carmel
More cities with totality times beyond three minutes: Tamms, Chester, Cairo, Harrisburg, Mount Vernon, Bluford, Olney
More cities with totality times beyond two minutes: Metropolis, Golcanda, Centralia, Salem, Kinnmundy, Marshall
Also worth noting
When the moon completely covers the sun in a totality phase of the solar eclipse, it is safe to look directly at the phenomenon without wearing glasses. In partial phases of the solar eclipse, it is unsafe to look directly at the sun without proper eye protection, such as certified eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers.
Totality and eclipse impacts will come between the 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. CT hours on April 8 in Missouri and Illinois. To find out more about eclipse timing and phases in your area, use this zip code tracker from USA Today.
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