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Get Ready for the 2023 and 2024 Solar Eclipses
On Saturday, October 14, 2023, and Monday, April 8, 2024, North America will experience two solar eclipses. The October 14th solar eclipse will be a “partial eclipse” for Missouri, and a good chance to practice for the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. On April 8, 2024, portions of Southeast Missouri will experience more than four minutes of “totality”, nearly double the length of totality of the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse with all of Missouri experiencing a “partial eclipse”. To help you get ready for these amazing events, the Missouri Eclipse Task Force is hosting an “Expo” in Cape Girardeau that kicks off with a panel discussion on Friday evening, July 21st and ends with an all-day expo on Saturday, July 22nd.
Friday evening, July 21, 2023 – Panel Discussion
On Friday night, July 21st, the Missouri Solar Eclipse Expo will “kickoff” with a panel discussion entitled “Get Ready for the 2023 and 2024 Solar Eclipses”. Panelists include a representative from NASA, eclipse expert Fred Espenak (“Mr. Eclipse”), a representative of the Missouri Department of Tourism, and a weather expert. The Panel Discussion will be held from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University with doors opening at 6:00 pm. Tickets are FREE, but seating is limited. Participation by ZOOM and Facebook will be available for those unable to attend in person.
Saturday all-day, July 22, 2023 – Solar Eclipse Expo
On Saturday, July 22nd, an all-day Missouri Solar Eclipse Expo will be held at the 30,000+ square foot Show Me Center located on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO. Doors open at 10:00 am and close at 5:00 pm. Tickets are FREE if you pre-register, and $3.00 at the door.
What can you expect?
A variety of exhibits, educational programs, and activities are planned for the day including:
- Exhibits: 80+ exhibits featuring cities, schools, businesses, and civic organizations discussing their plans for eclipse day, where to stay, displays by eclipse experts, and vendors of astronomy equipment displaying their products.
- Educational stations: Activity stations for children with activities illustrating and explaining various concepts related to astronomy, eclipses, weather, and other sciences.
- Expert speakers: Two theaters of speakers featuring talks by eclipse experts, including NASA, covering a variety of topics including safe viewing techniques, how to take photos of the eclipse, weather predictions, and more.
- Solar Viewing: View the Sun through specially designed telescopes (weather permitting) Door prizes and handouts for attendees including free solar eclipse glasses.