SHOW ME THE COLUMBIA, - Thousands of visitors will venture to Columbia to celebrate and be witness to the “Great American Eclipse.” As seen from Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when a new moon travels between Earth and the sun, obscuring part of the sun. A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon completely covers the sun, making the sun’s tenuous atmosphere, the “corona,” visible. The last total eclipse that was viewable in Missouri took place in 1869, nearly 150 years ago, and only passed over the northeast corner of the state. The upcoming eclipse is unique in that it occurs exclusively within the United States, travels across a large swath of the country and occurs over land for a total of 94 minutes. Totality in the U.S. will begin at 10:15 a.m. in Salem, Ore., the first land mass it touches, and concludes in Charleston, S.C. at 2:49
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p.m., the last land mass it touches, making the Great American Eclipse one of the longest observed in history. After leaving the eastern coast of the U.S., the moon’s shadow passes over most of the Atlantic before ending at sunset near Africa. In Missouri, the eclipse follows a diagonal line across the northwest to the southeast part of the state, and, since Missouri is located on the center line of the eclipse, it is predicted that hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the country and even around the world will travel to the state for this awe-inspiring occasion. Columbia, located in Central Missouri, is directly in the path of totality, so those in Columbia on the day of the eclipse will witness over two minutes and thirty seconds of totality beginning at 1:12 p.m. This will be one of the longest spans of totality in the country. According to Megan McConachie, strategic communications manager for the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), Columbia’s location along the path of totality makes it the perfect place for viewing this unique event. “It’s rare that you can say we’re celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime event, but this truly is one of those times. We’re thrilled to be able to share this event with all the visitors that will be coming to Columbia.” McConachie says organizing for the eclipse first began in 2014, but they started working in earnest a little more than one year ago. “It’s taken a lot of planning and we’ve been working with Off-Track Events and Columbia Parks and Recreation to bring it to fruition. We are very excited for it to all come together.” To mark the occasion, the city of Columbia will host many fun events, including a free music festival, viewing parties, a 5k/10k race, a guided bicycle trail ride, and a variety of other activities for visitors and locals alike. There will be two separate viewing parties, one at the city’s Cosmopolitan (Cosmo) Park, 1615 Business Loop 70, and the second at Gans Creek Recreation Area, 3360 E. Gans Creek Road. The St. Louis Sprockets Stunt Bike Club will perform at Cosmo Park on Sunday, Aug. 20. Photo by Kevin Dingman