This Is How the Solar Eclipse Will Go Down in Dallas

If you're into appreciating the majesty of nature, or you're just a person who covets rare things, then you probably want to take a gander at the sky Monday, Aug. 21, when a total solar eclipse will be visible across much of the U.S. The last time this happened was...

By Caroline Pritchard

August 3, 2017

This is a lot like what you'll see on Aug. 21. Shutterstock

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If you're into appreciating the majesty of nature, or you're just a person who covets rare things, then you probably want to take a gander at the sky Monday, Aug. 21, when a total solar eclipse will be visible across much of the U.S.

In Dallas, we will only see a partial eclipse. If you want to see the full thing, your closest option is to travel to northern Missouri.
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The last time this happened was Feb. 26, 1979, and the next won't be for another seven years: April 8, 2024. That places it somewhere between Nirvana's first single and the misprint of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in terms of rarity.

In Dallas, we will only see a partial eclipse. If you want to see the full thing, your closest option is to travel to northern Missouri.

Here, you'll essentially see a crescent sun. At the eclipse's peak, about 76 percent of the sun will be covered by the moon.

This is how it will go down:

Eclipse begins: 11:40 a.m.
Eclipse peaks: 1:09 p.m.
Eclipse ends: 2:39 p.m.

Observatories are great places to watch these kinds of phenomena. There's one in Denton, the Rafes Urban Astronomy Center, and the Meyer Observatory is an hour and a half away, near Clifton.

But if you can't break away for a road trip on a Monday, you can watch it anywhere. Just don't forget to buy NASA-approved eclipse glasses or your eyeballs may be burned to a crisp.

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Caroline Pritchard studied English at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and in 2012 returned to her hometown of Dallas, where she spends her free time seeking out new places to roller skate and play pinball.

Contact: Caroline Pritchard