Will I See The Total Solar Eclipse In Clearwater?

CLEARWATER, FL — Excitement is building in Clearwater 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 Clearwater, the moon will cover about 57.9 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: 1:43 p.m.
Maximum: 2:59 p.m.
Partial ends: 4:14 p.m.

The eclipse will last about 2 hours and 31 minutes from beginning to end in Clearwater.

Various organizations and venues are hosting eclipse-viewing events throughout the greater Tampa Bay area, including:

Great Explorations Children’s Museum, St. Petersburg

The museum will organize a group viewing of the eclipse at Crescent Lake Park at 2:45 p.m. After the eclipse, attendees are encouraged to explore the museum’s planetarium, which offers free entry to members that day. Non-members will pay a standard fee.

Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative

Various libraries in the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will stream the eclipse on NASA TV starting at 1:35 p.m. These include:

• Austin Davis
• Bruton Memorial
• Egypt Lake
• John F. Germany
• SouthShore
• Temple Terrace

The Arthenia L. Joyner Library will host a viewing party for children ages 6 to 12.

The 78th Street Library will also stream the movie “Dune” from 3 to 6 p.m.

James Weldon Johnson Community Library, St. Petersburg

This eclipse viewing party includes crafts and activities, such as constructing a viewer and experiments with UV beads. A limited number of eclipse glasses will be available.

Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa

There will be hands-on activities starting at 2 p.m. in the Primary Colors Amphitheater. Each ticket includes a pair of solar eclipse glasses. Cost is $18.50 per adult and $14.50 per child.

North Greenwood Library, Clearwater

The library will begin distributing eclipse-viewing glasses at 1:45 p.m.

Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival, Clearwater

The first 2,500 people at this viewing party on Clearwater Beach will receive collectible eclipse glasses.

Pinellas County Library Cooperative

Various libraries in the Pinellas County Library Cooperative are hosting eclipse viewing parties, including:

• Safety Harbor Public Library
• Seminole Community Library
• Tarpon Springs Public Library

St. Petersburg College Planetarium at the Gibbs Campus in St. Petersburg

The SPC planetarium will host a free public viewing of the eclipse. Eclipse viewers and specially equipped telescopes will be available in the “quad” area of the St. Petersburg/Gibbs campus, near the Natural Science building, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

• Related: You Must Protect Your Eyes, Regardless Of Eclipse Totality: What You Need

Right now, it looks like we could have a clear day with no chance of rain and low cloud coverage for the big event, 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.

• Related: Animals May Behave Oddly During Eclipse