Flathead readies for solar eclipse show

People have been watching and documenting solar eclipses for centuries, but for those under the age of 38, Monday’s coast-to-coast total solar eclipse will be a first.

Many children, like 6-year-old Hope Keller, have never even heard of an eclipse. When asked what she thought the eclipse would look like, she closed one eye and stuck out her tongue as she concentrated on drawing an angular shape in the air with her finger.

One of her friends, 3-year-old Samuel Keeton, had his own idea of what an eclipse was.

“It’s someone who runs,” he said. “I run,” he added, deciding that made him an eclipse.

His older brother, John Wesley Keeton, had the winning answer.

“[An eclipse] is when the moon goes exactly in front of the sun,” the 7-year-old said. “It looks like a light coming around a black circle.”

His mother, Nancy Keeton, was born the year after the last solar eclipse and will also be experiencing it for the first time with her boys. She plans to take both Samuel and John out into the field behind their home in Creston to watch the much anticipated event.

The last time an eclipse passed over the U.S. was in 1979. Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana were the only states from which it was visible, and even in those places many were unable to view it because of overcast skies.

The last time a total solar eclipse swept the whole width of the U.S. was in 1918.

While lunar eclipses, where the sun blocks out the moon, are relatively common, solar eclipses, where the moon blocks out the sun, have been documented as infrequently as once every 30 to 40 years.

For the U.S., the next total solar eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024.

The path of totality, or the areas where the moon’s shadow will pass directly overhead, will go west to east, starting in Oregon and passing through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Though only a tiny portion of southern Montana will fall under the total eclipse, most of the state will experience up to 90 percent coverage. Kalispell, for example, will experience 87.3 percent coverage.

A partial eclipse will be visible from everywhere in the country.

The forecast for this Monday’s eclipse is sunny and clear for the entire day.

According to the National Weather Service, the eclipse will begin for the northwest region of Montana at approximately 10:15 a.m. on Monday, reaching its peak at 11:30 a.m. and ending at about 12:50 p.m.

Any smoke in the area is not expected to affect the visibility of the eclipse.

NASA reminds those planning to watch the eclipse to never look directly at the sun, and doing so could result in serious eye damage or blindness.

NASA-approved glasses can be purchased at Glacier National Park’s visitors’ centers, lodges and gift shops for $3 each or at a pre-party at The Coop in Columbia Falls on Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Coop event will benefit the Glacier Children’s Museum and will feature games, crafts, spacey photo ops, music, refreshments, a silent auction, raffles and a climbing wall.

The eclipse will be visible from any open area with a clear view of the sky, but there will be special viewings at the following places:

- Flathead Valley Community College, Kalispell, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Free and open to the public, the college will host a viewing party on the lawn adjacent to the Rebecca Chaney Broussard Center for Nursing & Health Science. People are welcome to bring their own blankets and lawn chairs, and a limited number of solar glasses will be provided.

- North Lake County Library Block Party, Polson, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are invited to attend the free event which will feature educational displays, an optional $5 lunch, crafts, a photo booth, music and more. Ronan Eye Clinic will provide a limited number of solar viewing glasses. For more information call 883-8225.

- Whitefish Mountain Resort, Whitefish. Tickets for scenic chairlift rides will be available for purchase during the eclipse. Tickets are free for Winter 2016/2017 pass holders, $11 for adults, $10 for juniors and $11 for seniors. Glasses will not be provided.

- Glacier Guides, Glacier National Park. The Middle Fork River Party is from 9 a.m. to the end of the eclipse. Guests will board river rafts and launch into the river by 9 a.m., arriving at the Devil’s Elbow on the Middle Fork by 11 a.m. Guests will watch from shore as the eclipse reaches its peak at 11:30 a.m. while a “sky specialist” discusses everything sun, moon and stars. Once the eclipse ends, guests will re-board their rafts and relax the rest of the way down the river until taking out at Blankenship. Lunch will be provided at the end. Glasses will be provided. Tickets are $97 for adults and $74 for children. To sign up, call 387-5555.

- Firefighter Mountain Lookout, Hungry Horse, 9 a.m. to noon. The Northwest Chapter of the Firefighter Lookout Association and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation will be hosting a viewing of the eclipse from the Firefighter Mountain Lookout tower 9 miles south of Hungry Horse. Admission is a $50 donation. Glasses will be provided, but space is limited. For more information, call 387-3822.

Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.