It is eclipse day! If you are wondering why this is a “big deal,” one of the main reasons is that it is the last full eclipse visible in the United States for the next 20 years.
So, if you have your official NASA-approved glasses – or you have made yourself a cardboard viewer, etc., here is the information on today’s big show – Iowa edition.
The eclipse begins at 12:43 p.m. in Des Moines and will take about 2 hours and 30 minutes, ending around 3:13 p.m. Maximum coverage of 84% will be at 1:58 p.m. Times will shift just a few minutes earlier for southwest Iowa and a few minutes later in northeast Iowa.
Do NOT look at it without special glasses – you can end up with permanent eye damage from staring at the sun any time, not just during the eclipse. People are being advised to keep pets inside because they will get curious and look up and it can damage their eyes too.
By the way, for more information on the eclipse, check out NASA’s full coverage.
