What Borderland can expect of eclipse experience
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — While El Paso will not be in the path of totality for the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, the Borderland will still be able to experience unique aspects of the momentous astronomical event.
Along with darkening skies, drops in temperatures between 10 to 20 degrees, and animals behaving differently, Sun City Astronomers’ Service President Blayne Primozich says El Pasoans will be able to witness Bailey’s Beads.
Where to watch: Eclipse viewing events in El Paso
He explains about this phenomenon.
“As the moon continues to move across the face, the sun will begin to peak out the other side. And what’s unique here is on the edge of the moon, relative to us we have mountain ranges, and as the sunlight begins to peak through those mountain ranges, then the valleys, and that it creates a little beads of light,” said Primozich.
In El Paso, the eclipse will begin at approximately 11:09 a.m., with the peak coverage of 82% happening at around 12:25 p.m., Primozich said.
The last solar eclipse to cross over U.S. skies happened in 2017, and won’t happen again until 2044. But even then Primozich said it will only cover northern parts of the country, all the more reason for El Pasoans to head out on Monday.
“It just unites people to be in tune and touch with the cosmic environment that we live in this universe, just knowing the universe itself and feeling your place in it,” said amateur astronomer Chris Grohusko.
“These events are fairly rare, and so we always want to spark that love of nature and science. Going out and just experiencing a moment where you’re looking up and seeing this eclipse, sharing this with millions of people across the globe,” Primozich said.
Grohusko explained that unlike 2017’s solar eclipse, the one happening on Monday will be covering a significant part of the country.
“A lot of these astronomical occurrences occur in extremely remote areas of the planet. So the biggest importance is that it is conveniently accessible on the United States mainland,” Grohusko said.
As El Paso won’t be in the eclipse’s path of totality, where one briefly can see the eclipse without protection, Primozich and Grohusko warn that it is not safe for El Pasoans to view the eclipse directly or through the telescope without the use of certified eclipse glasses.
With expected wind gusts, Primozich also cautioned people to properly weigh down their telescopes so they won’t get knocked down and damaged by wind, and to protect telescopes’ glass surfaces from blowing dust.
The Sun City Astronomers’ Club will be hosting a viewing event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at the Judge Edward Marquez Library located at 610 N. Yarbrough Dr.
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