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2017 Solar Eclipse Government Information: NASA

Facts and useful information about the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse from NASA and other government agencies.

The Experience

NASA Educational News Feed

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More eclipse news from NASA.

Watch LIVE

Watch live stream of the total solar eclipse via NASA

or watch live on the UToledo campus! (between 12:30 and 4:00 PM)

Eclipse Details for Toledo, Ohio

Toledo Eclipse Specifics

  • Eclipse starts at 1:02 PM
  • Maximum eclipse is at 2:27 PM
  • Eclipse ends at 3:48 PM
  • Duration of eclipse is 2 hours and 46 minutes

Source:  Ritter Planetarium and Brooks Observatory

Try this fun interactive map from NASA.  You can see that just by traveling even a half hour in the right direction, your experience of the eclipse increases even if only by a percentage point.  (see magnitude and obscuration)  Just drop a pin on your desired location and compare!

Solar Eclipses viewable from the Toledo area

On August 21, 2017, viewers in the Toledo area will be able to partially experience a total solar eclipse.  Ohio is not in the direct path.  See NASA plot map.

Credit:  "Eclipse Predictions by Fred Espenak, NASA/GSFC Emeritus"  https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEpath/SEpath.html

On May 10, 1994, viewers in the Toledo area were able to experience being in the direct path to experience an annular solar eclipse.  See historical NASA plot map.

On April 8, 2024, viewers in the Toledo area will be able to experience being in the direct path to experience a total solar eclipse.  See NASA's plot map (via Google).

Can you wait till 2024?

If you can't get away to see the 2017 total eclipse, Toledo will be within the direct path of another total solar eclipse in April of 2024. Blue lines indicate outer extremities of the direct path experience; red line indicates the path of longest duration of experience.

Toledo was dead center for the May 1994 annular solar eclipse.

Educator's Activity Guide (from NASA)

See NASA's Eclipse Kit which includes a 44-page K-12 Activity Guide (downloadable PDF)

or download NASA's 2-page Fact Sheet  (basic facts about the eclipse and basic viewing tips)

Learn some basic terms.

How Eclipses Work

The Moon moves right to left in its orbit around the Earth. The shadow it casts hits the Earth during the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse.  (source:  NASA)

See more about how eclipses work.

August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse path

See which states are in the direct path to experience a 100% eclipse of the sun.

People across N.A. will be able to experience this eclipse.  In the Toledo area, we will experience between 80% and 90% of the total eclipse.

Visualizaton ot path of totality. Play to see what Toledo will see.

Click to play

A view of the United States during the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, showing the umbra (black oval), penumbra (concentric shaded ovals), and path of totality (red). This version includes images of the Sun showing its appearance in a number of locations, each oriented to the local horizon.  (Source:  NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio)

See more at SVS.

Print your own (easy!) viewer

 

Print your own 2-D pinhole projector.  For best results, place a square of heavy-duty aluminum foil in the center of the paper. Puncture this aluminum foil with a pin, leaving as clean and small an opening as possible.  Use a second piece of plain white paper to place on the ground to project your image onto.

See more 2-D patterns and patterns for 3-D printers also. 

 

 

More scientific and technical government information

Image source:  https://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/1281446/solar-eclipse-august-21-2017/