It’s been about 4 years since the spectacular total solar eclipse of 2017 that swept from Oregon, across the United States, through the middle of Missouri, on to South Carolina, and out into the Atlantic Ocean. It was the first total solar eclipse to touch the contiguous 48 states in 38 years, and the first since 1918 to go from coast to coast.

Remember? The weather was clear for most in the path of totality, and millions of people looked to the skies to witness the moon creep across and cover the sun. We witnessed the bright flash of the diamond ring as the sun sank into darkness, and we observed the glowing streamers of the sun’s outer atmosphere. Yes, it got dark. Animals became restless and changed their behaviors. Birds went to roost, and insects sang. But it wasn’t what most of us had imagined, it was different, and it was better. Words and predictions cannot convey the feeling of a total solar eclipse.

But, the best is yet to come! In just 3 short years, on April 8, 2024, Missouri will once again be in the path of totality, which will cut across the Southeast part of the state, through such towns as West Plains, Poplar Bluff, and Cape Girardeau. This time the sun’s shadow will start in Mexico and sweep northeast, entering Texas, moving across the Heartland through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois, then on through Indiana, Ohio, and up into the northeast, completing its journey in Canada. This time the path of totality will be wider, the duration of totality will be longer, and the number of people residing within the band of totality will be nearly three times as great as in 2017. We will even get an eclipse ‘preview’ with a partial annular eclipse visible throughout Missouri on October 14, 2023!

Many websites provide eclipse times in Universal Time (UTC) which can make it difficult to determine the local eclipse times for your location. 

An easy way to get local eclipse times for your location is to visit the eclipse page on the TimeandDate.com website.  You can select the eclipse of interest (for example, the October 14th or April 8th eclipse), enter your location details in the "search city or place " box, and then get the local start and end times for your selected location.  If you can't find the location in the search box, you can use a clickable map to select your location.