KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Today is the day! A partial solar eclipse will pass over East Tennessee!
If you miss it, you're going to have to wait at least two decades to get another chance to see one in the U.S., because the next total solar eclipse in the contiguous U.S. will be in 2044!
The weather forecast in East Tennessee for Monday is not exactly perfect. We're going to have some spotty showers for the first half of the day into the early afternoon, so it's likely going to be cloudy around eclipse time. However, there is a chance for a partly cloudy sky and maybe a little bit of a clearing during the peak of the partial eclipse around 3:07 p.m. EDT
What time will the eclipse happen?
If you are in Tennessee or Kentucky, you will want to head outdoors and keep your eyes on the sky starting around 1:35 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 8. That's when the moon will begin partially eclipsing the sun moving from the southwest from Texas toward the northeast toward Maine.
The Knoxville area will see the partial eclipse begin just before 1:50 p.m. and hit its peak a little after 3 p.m. Here are the eclipse timetables for Tennessee's three Grand Divisions:
Knoxville/East Tennessee
- Partial eclipse begins: 1:49 p.m. EDT
- Maximum eclipse (~88% eclipsed): 3:07 p.m. EDT
- Partial eclipse ends: 4:23 p.m. EDT
Nashville/Middle Tennessee
- Partial eclipse begins: 12:44 p.m. CDT
- Maximum eclipse (~95% eclipsed): 2:03 p.m. CDT
- Partial eclipse ends: 3:20 p.m. CDT
Memphis/West Tennessee
- Partial eclipse begins: 12:37 p.m. CDT
- Maximum eclipse (~98% eclipsed): 1:57 p.m. CDT
- Partial eclipse ends: 3:15 p.m. CDT