Will I See The Total Solar Eclipse In Highland Park, Highwood?

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Excitement is building in Highland Park 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 Highland Park and Highwood, the moon will cover about 92.6 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: 12:51 p.m.
Near-Totality begins: 1:33 p.m.
Maximum: 2:07 p.m.
Near-Totality ends: 2:41 p.m.
Partial ends: 3:21 p.m.

The early weather forecasts for the April 8 eclipse in the Highland Park area call for partly cloudy conditions with a chance of some showers and temperatures in the 50s. Too much cloud cover can obscure the view.

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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.

Several eclipse festivals are being held within the 128 mile path of totality that passes through Southern Illinois. In Chicago, the Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, is hosting a free outdoor Eclipse Encounter '24 event.

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