Montanans Will Need To Travel For Best Views of Eclipses

The earth is expected to experience two eclipses in the month of October. If you live in Montana, and want to be in the direct path of either one, you will have to travel. One of them will be much closer to Montana than the other one.

The First Eclipse Will Be Visible in Montana

The first of the two will be the Annular Solar Eclipse which will be happening October 14th. The direct path for this event will be the closest to Montana. It will be visible from Montana, but If you want to see the "ring of fire", in the direct path, you will need to hit the road. Space.com has put together a list of some of the best places to be in the direct path and to see the "ring of fire". 

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One of the best places to view this eclipse would be directly south of Montana in Southern Utah. If you plan on traveling to Utah, you may want to consider heading there for Halloween too. It is one of the most popular spots in the nation for the holiday.

Before getting to the second eclipse let's take a look at some of the record weather events that we have had across Montana.

The Second Eclipse Won't Be Visible in North America

The second of the eclipses will be the Partial Lunar Eclipse on October 28th. To experience this eclipse you will have to travel a long distance, we will not be experiencing this eclipse in North America. The eclipse will be visible in most of the world outside of North and South America. For the full path of Partial Lunar Eclipse you can view the map at In-The-Sky.org.

When Watching An Eclipse in Montana Protect Your Eyes

When watching eclipses, please make sure that you protect your eyes and don't look directly at the sun. If you want to get solar eclipse glasses they are available in Missoula at the Missoula Public Library. Both of these eclipses will be partial eclipses. 2024 will see a total eclipse move through North America. People are already booking their trips to witness the historic event next year.