The Incredible Moment When St. Louis Will Go Dark That Will Go Down In History

St. Louis will experience the first total solar eclipse in our area since 1442 on August 21, 2017. This opportunity will be gone in 13 minutes until 2505! Just think, we will all be long gone before this happens again. The future people of St. Louis will be reading and looking at pictures of us in the history archives. Pretty surreal when you think about it like that, don't ya think?

In this graphic you can see the path of the total solar eclipse.

The event will move from the northwest corner of Missouri diagonally through the center of Missouri.

As the total solar eclipse moves into the area, the skies will darken.

The truly intriguing part is witnessing what happens in the short time the sun is covered by the moon. When the darkness hits, temperatures may drop 10-15 degrees and breezes disappear. Instantly! Also, insects will come out and you will be able to see all the stars and planets. If you live on a farm, your animals may just head toward the barn! How amazing is that? The totality of the whole event will last a few seconds to a couple of minutes, depending on where you are. Don't be late!

Viewing an eclipse is extremely dangerous and you must wear eye protection...

If you don't, it's almost certain you will cause irreversible damage to your eyes or even blindness. Many people think it's the eclipse itself that damages the eyes or that the sun shines brighter on this day. That is not the case at all. When the sun is completely covered by the moon you can remove your protective eyewear, but only for a few seconds. As a matter of fact, if you don't you won't see anything. But if you miscalculate when to put them back on, you are in big trouble. The reason is surprising but makes total sense...

When you are in the sun on a normal day, you never stare at the sun directly...

You know it is physically impossible, and your eyes automatically adjust to protect you. When viewing a total eclipse of the sun, the situation is very different. Your iris narrows and your pupils constrict naturally as a protective measure when in direct sunlight. When you are in a dark room they dilate so they can take in as much light as possible for you to see. On a normal day your eyes have time to adjust to different levels of light. You are unable to go from darkness to full sunlight in your eyes within seconds. When you walk out into the sun you do not instantly look directly at the sun. As a matter of fact you squint and avoid looking at the sun until your eyes adjust.

The totality of the sun being blocked lasts anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes depending on the viewing area.

As the event takes place, the moon is moving at 1,900 miles per hour. As quickly as the sun disappears, it's back again. When the darkness hits, your eyes adjust accordingly by dilating. This is so they can pull in any light possible in order to help you see. When the sun begins to peek out from behind the moon it is as bright as it was before the moon came along. It's revealed suddenly, and without notice of any kind. Your eyes are not able to adjust at a rate of speed such as this leaving them unprotected in the sun. Making a bad situation worse, you are staring directly at the sun when its rays suddenly reappear. And just when you didn't think it could get any worse...

Your eyes are completely dilated and adjusted to the darkness, naturally seeking out any light available.

The instant appearance of a full sun out of the darkness gives your eyes no time to dilate and be protected. Not only are you staring directly at the sun, your pupils are wide open searching for light. Also, if you make the mistake of not protecting your eyes, you probably won't even realize they are damaged until the next day. It's not painful and there is no warning sign. You will just wake up and be unable to see writing on a piece of paper. Pretty wild stuff isn't it?

There are many places to view the eclipse in St. Louis. It is estimated hundreds of thousands of people will be heading our way for this event and hotels will be sold out across the state. There are fairs and festivals planned from one end of the state to the other! Make sure you plan accordingly and get your protective eyewear handled ahead of time so you can view the total eclipse of 2017 in safety! Where will you watch the eclipse in St. Louis? Read more about the eclipse and the state of the Missouri by clicking here!