Partial Solar Eclipse To Pass Over Sheridan

Saturday morning (October 14th) will be a little darker than normal.

Wyoming will experience a partial solar eclipse, as the moon passes between the sun and the Earth.

The event starts at around 9:14am Mountain Time and at about 10:32am, the maximum amount of sun blockage will occur, as up to 76% of the sun will be blocked from Sheridan’s perspective.

Those who live further south and west of Sheridan will see more blockage.

Evanston will see up to 89%, and events for them will start a few minutes sooner.

Unlike the total solar eclipse that passed through Wyoming in 2017, this solar eclipse is called an annular eclipse, and at no point will the sun be 100% blocked anywhere on Earth.

Joe Lester from the National Weather Service in Billings, Montana says the most blockage anyone will see is about 97%, which includes some places in Utah. 

He adds the difference between a total solar eclipse and an annular one depends on how far the moon is from the Earth.

“In an annular eclipse like the one that’s happening this weekend, the moon is a little further away, so it is a little smaller, so it is not able to completely shield the sun, so you’ll have that “ring of fire” look to it around the sun.”

Saturday’s partial eclipse in Sheridan will end just before 12-noon.

Skies are forecasted to be sunny that day.

Click here to see a computer simulation of the partial solar eclipse over Sheridan.

A total solar eclipse will pass through the U.S. next year in April.

The path will start in Texas and move northeast away from Wyoming.