Get live updates (& photos, videos) on the solar eclipse from Memphis, Little Rock, Hot Springs
The day of the total solar eclipse has arrived.
Today, people around the Memphis area had a chance to witness the type of celestial event rarely seen over the United States mainland. While Memphis isn't in the path of totality, it's very close.
The Commercial Appeal had reporters and photographers all over Memphis and in the path of totality in Arkansas to bring you everything you need to know about today's eclipse.
We also want to hear from you! Send photos you take of the eclipse or any eclipse-related events you attend to Metro@CommercialAppeal.com with the name of the person who took the photo and permission to use it and we might add it to our eclipse coverage!
MSCS students take in the Great American Eclipse
The third-grade science class at Scenic Hills Elementary is preparing for the eclipse with an art exercise involving a cutout sun, moon, and earth attached to a paper plate. The sun and moon are glued to popsicle sticks and can be shifted back and forth.
Students in the class had a solid understanding of what causes the eclipse and said they were excited to see it. Some were also wondering if the darkening of the sky will cause nocturnal animals to become animated.
As the eclipse started, students headed outside, donned their eclipse glasses and stared into the sky, shouting, “I see it! I see it!” Others laid back on blankets, like they were sunbathing, to take in the view.
“It looks like someone took a bite out of a cookie,” one student commented.
―John Klyce
Crowds flock to Little Rock
Monica Mackey-Walker traveled to Little Rock from Jacksonville, Arkansas to see the eclipse Monday.
"I'm really excited. I feel like a kid now, and I'm 51," she said afterward.
Shermil Hunt and Arica Brison also traveled from Jacksonville to Little Rock ― with a puppy companion ― to take in the spectacle.
Evelyn Holsten and Harper Jones, both 10, met and became friends at a watch party in Little Rock on Monday.
"I think it was pretty cool. It was my first time seeing it and I made a new friend," Holsten said.
―George Russell
Taking a break to watch the skies
Employees at the Crye-Leike Realty office on Forest Hill Irene Road in Germantown gathered in the parking lot outside Monday afternoon to take in the eclipse.
They said they started their watch party around 1 p.m.
The Williams family, once regular visitors to the Memphis Zoo don't come as often as they used to, now that son Noah Williams is a teen.
But Noah Williams, along with his parents Juan and Erica, made a special visit Monday to see the eclipse at the zoo.
"He's grown up now, but we wanted to come today," said Juan Williams.
―Mark Russell and Micaela Watts
Clear skies for Arkansas eclipse watchers
Dennis Cavanaugh of the National Weather Service said conditions in Arkansas were ideal.
“We've got some high clouds in place over the state but it's really thin cirrus,” he said. “Otherwise, skies are perfectly clear here in central Arkansas.”
Cavanaugh spoke from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway where, he said, the grassy spaces, including the football field, are filled with tripods, cameras, telescopes and people on beach blankets.
“There's lots of low cloud cover in Texas. Arkansas is kind of a sweet spot,” he said. “Except around Texarkana, most of the path of totality is wide open and clear.”
“You start to get into some lower clouds again as you get into southern Illinois… parts of Indiana” and northern Ohio, he added.
From northeast Pennsylvania through New England, visibility will also be relatively clear.
“It is going to start to rain pretty heavy once we get into the evening and overnight hours,” in Arkansas he said, with the threat of thunderstorms. “But for folks that are just here for the day. I mean, it's just about perfect.”
―George Russell
Thousands travel to Hot Springs to see the eclipse
A small town of 38,000, Hot Springs, Arkansas has seen individuals from across the country flock to the town and Hot Springs National Park to view the solar eclipse. The town and park are in the path of totality Monday.
Hot Springs National Park Public Information Officer Ashley Waymouth said that park rangers have been actively planning for the crowds and masses of people for about a year, but have been talking about the event since 2020.
"A year's worth of meetings, prep work, staff trainings, you know, just a lot of things went into making sure that we could be ready for all of the crowds and for all of the outreach and education that we wanted to do this weekend," Waymouth said.
Scientists from NOAA and NASA are in the area for the event, as were amateur eclipse photographers and families simply looking to enjoy the event.
The Espinoza family traveled all the way from Central Florida with one of the newest members of their family, a 6-week-old pig.
Lindsey Espinoza said all she wanted for her birthday was a place to stay near Hot Springs National Park so she and her family could view the eclipse. They got their pig recently and did not want to leave him alone, so Dill made the trip with the family.
―Brooke Muckerman
No major issues on Arkansas roads
Dave Parker, a representative from the Arkansas Department of Transportation, said that traffic in the state has been “flowing extremely well,” with only one major highway accident today.
The department’s predictions of a slow build in traffic leading up to today have panned out. Counts from yesterday showed a 10% increase in traffic over a typical Sunday.
ARDOT’s live traffic advisory website was “getting pounded right now with the amount of users,” Parker said, with nearly as many hits already by 11 a.m. as it would see in an entire normal day.
Traffic “boils down to human nature and the weather.”
Many of the people coming to Arkansas were those making last-minute day trips. Parker said that rain and cloud cover today in nearby regions including the Dallas metro could mean more people driving to Arkansas day-of.
He referred to a National Weather Service briefing from Monday morning which pointed to the 150-mile stretch around Little Rock as having some of the best visibility along the entire path of totality in the United States.
“Twenty-six of our 52 state parks are in the direct path,” Parker went on. State park campground “occupancy was nearly 90[%] if not higher, two weeks ago,” and that figure can only be greater now.
“The unknown is still out there as to, once it’s over, what people do,” Parker said.
He expects that many people driving long distances from out of state will have learned the lesson of the last eclipse and will stay longer in Arkansas to avoid the “major traffic jams” that happened during the return rush after the 2017 eclipse.
“That’s a win for everyone.”
―George Russell
Total Solar Eclipse: Watch Live
Stax gets in on the eclipse fun
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music got into the eclipse spirit with its marquee Monday.
"Nothing we can do, it's a 97 pct eclipse of the heart," it read, referencing Bonnie Tyler's 1983 smash “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
Stax posted a picture on its Facebook page with the caption "97% eclipse, 100% Memphis SOUL."
More: Bonnie Tyler's 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' gets fan boost ahead of total solar eclipse
What time is the solar eclipse in Memphis? Can I see the solar eclipse from my location?
The Memphis area will see a partial eclipse for about 2 and a half hours. At the peak, almost 98% of the sun will be obscured by the moon for Memphis eclipse watchers.
Locally, the eclipse will start around 12:30 p.m. with the peak shortly before 2 p.m. and the eclipse ending around 3:25 p.m.
What will Memphis weather be like for the eclipse?
According to the National Weather Service, there is a likelihood of showers and clouds during peak eclipse viewing time. Conditions should be better for viewing north of Interstate 40.
Skies will be mostly sunny and the high will be near 75. The evening will be mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of rain.
Where are Memphis solar eclipse watch parties?
The Museum of Science and History, The Brooks Museum of Art, the Memphis Zoo, the Peabody Hotel and the Memphis Botanic Garden are among the local institutions hosting eclipse-related events Monday.
Take a look at this story for more details on where you can check out the eclipse with other excited Memphians.
Total solar eclipse 2024: What to know about the April 8 event in Tennessee
Where can I buy solar eclipse glasses?
If you haven't gotten glasses yet, you've certainly left it to the last minute. But there are still a few places you can probably pick up some glasses.
While supplies last, free solar eclipse glasses are available at all Memphis Public Libraries branches.
In addition, Walmart, Lowe's, Target and several other retailers have been selling eclipse glasses ahead of the event.
Keep in mind, medical experts and NASA say you should never view an eclipse without proper eyewear. Looking directly at the sun, even during an eclipse, can cause lasting damage to your eyes.
How often does a solar eclipse happen?
If the Earth's orbit and the moon's were aligned, they would happen every month. But because the moon's is slightly out-of-sync with Earth's, the two orbits only line up occasionally.
EarthSky explains: "If the moon orbited in the same plane as the ecliptic ― Earth’s orbital plane ― we would have a minimum of two eclipses every month. There’d be an eclipse of the moon at every full moon."
And, approximately two weeks later there’d be an eclipse of the sun at the new moon for a total of at least 24 eclipses every year.
The next visible total solar eclipse to cross over the U.S. after April will come in more than two decades on Aug. 23, 2044, according to NASA.
What happens during a solar eclipse?
During a solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and the Earth. This is what creates the darkness of the eclipse as the moon interrupts the sun's light. People located in the path of totality will experience a complete block of the sun for the few minutes it happens. For people located outside but near the path of totality, they will experience a partial solar eclipse. This is when the moon only covers part of the sun.
Memphis Commercial Appeal reporter Jordan Green contributed to this story. USA Today reporters Doyle Rice and Kayla Jimenez also contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Solar eclipse in Arkansas: Check out our live updates, photos, videos
