Just like planning a vacation, it is important to plan ahead for your eclipse viewing event. You only get once chance to see the eclipse and you need to be prepared for contingencies, including bad weather.
Here are some viewing tips and tricks.
Plan Ahead
- Talk to your family and friends. See what they plan to do.
- Decide on best viewing location where the Sun will not be obstructed; consider more than one location in case there are cloudy conditions
- Know the exact eclipse times for each location
- Collect equipment on the checklist in plenty of time
On the Day of the Eclipse
- Check the weather forecast
- Bring the items on your checklist
- Get to your viewing area early to avoid traffic
- Set up radio or accurate clock, seconds count!
- Find shade for you
- Tie down any equipment from wind
- Practice safe solar viewing
- Record the events of the day
What to Take
- Viewing equipment
- Eclipse glasses
- Pinhole projector
- Camera with proper filter
- Personal items:
- Sun glasses
- Water
- Support items:
- Timesheet with exact eclipse times
- Watch
- Radio
- Map
- Thermometer
- Note book to record events
Enjoy the Eclipse!
Discounted Pricing
The Missouri Eclipse Task Force is excited to offer discounted pricing on solar eclipse glasses for task force members. Task Force members can have their logo and URL applied to at no cost to the unique design created by Clarion Marketing & Advertising in St. Louis. Through special arrangements with Rainbow Symphony in California, task force members can purchase the customized glasses at volume pricing rates. The minimum order size is 3,000 glasses.
If your organization is interested in learning more about the benefits of joining our Missouri Eclipse Task Force, please Contact us.
About the Glasses
Below is a sample of the unique design of Missouri Eclipse Task Force Solar Glasses. Note that the glasses are updated to reflect the logo and URL for Cape Girardeau which was done at no cost by Clarion Marketing & Advertising in St. Louis.
Lens Materials: Exclusive Eclipse Shades Silver/Black Polymer (orange image).
Safety Information: All Eclipse Shades come with safety information and instructions preprinted on the backside. All Solar Viewing Materials are Optical Density 5 or Greater and are "CE" certified which meets the transmission requirements of scale 12-16 of EN 169/1992. Certified by BSI #0086 Notified Body HP2 4SQ. Meets the 2012 Transmission Requirements of EN1836:2005 &AS/NZS
All Eclipse Shades come with safety information and instructions preprinted on the backside. All Solar Viewing Materials are Optical Density 5 or Greater and are "CE" certified which meets the transmission requirements of scale 12-16 of EN 169/1992. Certified by BSI #0086 Notified Body HP2 4SQ. Meets the 2012 Transmission Requirements of EN1836:2005 &AS/NZS 1338:\.1:1992 for eclipse filters (Queensland Directive). Meets the requirement for ISO 12312-2:2015.
Acknowledgment of Our Partners
The Missouri Eclipse Task Force appreciates our partnerships with Rainbow Symphony in California and Clarion Marketing & Advertising in St. Louis.
- Rainbow Symphony (RainbowSymphony.com) is a leading manufacturer of Solar Glasses. The St. Louis 2017 Solar Eclipse Task Force used Rainbow Symphony exclusively to produce and distribute over 500,000 glasses for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. The quality of their solar glasses was particularly appreciated when problems surfaced with other solar glasses.
- Clarion Marketing & Advertising (ClarionStl.com) in St. Louis has contributed its time and talent to create a unique eclipse glasses design for the Missouri Eclipse Task Force, and apply the logo and URL of task members to the glasses, all at no cost to the Missouri Eclipse Task Force and its members. Clarion has:
- 35 years in strategic sales & marketing communications for international, national and regional companies and communities.
- Comprehensive experience in UX, AI, internet & social media design & implementation
- Comprehensive experience emphasizing internal marketing communications, employee engagement/training/recognition & reward strategies
The four types of solar eclipses are:
- Partial eclipse
- Annular eclipse
- Total eclipse
- Hybrid eclipse
In a partial, annular or hybrid phases of solar eclipse, the Moon does not completely block our view of the Sun. Use proper eye protection in these phases to avoid injury to your eyes.
Below are a variety of resource links that you might find helpful. Check back again as we continue to grow this list.
NASA Resources
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NASA MAP - 2023 Partial Eclipse
NASA map of the October 14, 2023 partial eclipse
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NASA Map - 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
NASA map of the April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
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NASA Eclipse Calculator
NASA website with historical eclipse data for locations that you enter.
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NASA Eclipse Website
NASA eclipse map website.
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NASA Solar System Ambassadors
NASA Solar System Ambassadors
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NASA Science Mission Directorate's Science Activation
NASA Science Mission Directorate's Science Activation
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Nationwide Ballooning Project
Nationwide Ballooning Project
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NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team
NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team
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NASA Sun Science Facebook Page
NASA Sun Science Facebook Page
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NASA Citizen Science Projects
NASA Citizen Science Projects.
NON-NASA - Maps and Handy Tools
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Eclipsewise.com - 2024 eclipse animation
A fun animation of the 2024 eclipse.
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Xjubier.Free.fr - 2024-2017 Maps
Map of the 2024 and 2017 Total Solar Eclipses. An excellent interactive eclipse website built by Xavier Jubier from France.
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Eclipsewise.com - 2023/2024 eclipse maps and resources
A resource website prepared by Fred Espenak, NASA eclipse expert .
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Eclipse2024.org - 2024 eclipse maps and resources
A terrific resource of maps, videos for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse.
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Google.com - 2024 Eclipse Map
A map of the 2024 Eclipse Path by Google.com
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Esrl.NOAA.GOV - Sun Position Calculator
Calculate the precise location of the sun at total solar eclipse time.
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PDF Download - Astronomy and Basic Science
Great resources on Astronomy and Eclipses for use in the classroom.
NASA Maps - Past Total Solar Eclipses (Missouri)
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NASA Eclipse Map - 2017
Total Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017
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NASA Eclipse Map - 1869
Total Solar Eclipse of August 7, 1869
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NASA Eclipse Map - 1806
Total Solar Eclipse of June 16, 1806
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NASA Eclipse Map - 1442
Total Solar Eclipse of July 7, 1442
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NASA Eclipse Map - 1257
Total Solar Eclipse of June 13, 1257
Community Planner
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2024 Eclipse: Community Eclipse Planning Guide (Direct download)
A Community Planning Guide for the 2024 Eclipse. Courtesy of Kate Russo, Ph.D., Author, Psychologist, Eclipse Chaser
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2024 Eclipse: Community Eclipse Planning Guide (author's website)
Author's website for the 2023/2024 North American version of the Community Eclipse Planning Guide.
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2017 Eclipse - Economic Case Study for Cape Girardeau County
Report: "Economic Impact Study of Eclipse Tourism in Cape Girardeau Count, MO - 2017" prepared by David Yaskewich, Ph.D. of the Center for Economic and Business Research, Southeast Missouri State University
Eclipse Viewing Tips
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Astronomy Magazine
Astronomy Magazine - First look at the 2024 eclipse
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Build a safe solar pinhole viewer
Learn to build a safe solar pinhole viewer by Michael Bakich, Astronomy Magazine. Published on September 2, 2014.
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Eclipse2024.org
Informational website on upcoming eclipses.
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Night Sky Network Outreach Resources
Night Sky Network Outreach Resources
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Shadows & Silhouettes
Full manual for the Shadows & Silhouettes ToolKit. Hands-on activities on Moon phases, lunar and solar eclipses, transits, and Venus phases. Features NASA's Kepler Mission and provides activities to explore searching for planets orbiting in the habitable zone around other stars. The website includes links to videos show tutorials of many of the activities
Source: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology
Educator Resources
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Solar Powered Guide - Students Guide to Eclipses
Enjoy this student's guide to solar and lunar eclipses which was discovered and shared with us by a Girl Scout (Hannah) who is working on a badge. Thank you Hannah for sharing the link with us!
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Standing in the Shadow of the Earth
Compare the shadow that an Earth globe casts with what we observe in the evening sky at sunset. Show your visitors the shadow of the earth as it rises as a dark blue shadow above the eastern horizon. Source: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology
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Why Do Eclipses Happen?
Using simple materials, participants create 3D models of the Earth, Moon and Sun and demonstrate solar and lunar eclipses. Includes video tutorial. Source: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology.
Eclipse Glasses
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American Paper Optics
Eclipse glasses from American Paper Optics.
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Rainbow Symphony Eclipse Glasses
Eclipse glasses from Rainbow Symphony.
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Thousand Oaks Optical
Eclipse glasses from Thousand Oaks Optical
Eclipse Photography
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Eclipse Photography - Eclipse2024.org
Tips and tricks from Eclipse2024.org about taking a photography of the eclipse.
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Eclipse Photography - MrEclipse
Tips and tricks on eclipse photography from Fred Espanek ("Mr. Eclipse").
Traffic, Weather and Safety
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Eclipse climate and weather - Eclipsophile.com
A great resource for statistics for climate and weather for celestial events.
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How to observe an eclipse safely
Eleven page guide produced for eclipse viewers in the UK.
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NOAA Weather
NOAA's weather service website.
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Traffic - GreatAmericanEclipse.com
Estimated drive times and other information for the day of the eclipse.