A total Eclipse of the sun will be happening this August. The event will see Earth’s moon block-out the sun, creating the spectacle of darkness during midday.
A total eclipse of the sun happens every 18 moths around the globe, however eclipses often happen over remote areas or the ocean, and a total eclipse of the sun has not been viewable from the contiguous United States since 1979. Hawaii has seen one as recently as 1991.
The “path of totality,” or the prime locations for getting the most out of eclipse viewing, will begin in northern Pacific and crosses the USA from west to east through parts of the following states: Oregon, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Idaho, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina. A small portion of both of Montana and Iowa are in the eclipse path).
The Moon’s shadow is expected to produce a partial eclipse visible from a much larger region covering most of North America.
Casper Wyoming is on the path of totality for the event, making Casper a major tourist draw for the event. The Wyoming Eclipse Festival office has released several pieces of information over the past few years, to keep people informed of the event. We’ve gathered some of that info here, for easy reference.
Date and time of the eclipse: August 21st, 2017. At exactly 11:42 am (and 40 seconds). The totality will last for 146 seconds.
Casper Accommodations– At this time the Eclipse Office is reporting approximately 98% of the formal accommodations are booked.
Activities– Are being planned for a 5-day period, building up to the eclipse event itself.
Tourist Estimates– Numbers released by the Eclipse Office estimate that Casper could see 35,000 visitors for the event. That estimate is based on the following accommodation estimates:
- 10,000 people estimated to be formally accommodated in hotels and campgrounds.
- 15,000 being hosted by residents (visiting family and friends or rented rooms, such as through Air B-n-B).
- 10,000 people passing through or visiting for the day, but not overnight.
Economy– The Eclipse Festival estimates that the average Eclipse Chaser spends and average of $5,000 in their viewing city.
Demographics– It’s believed that at least 35% of visitors will travel from a variety of countries worldwide.
Media– A variety of media and media outlets are expected to be on hand during the event. Including:
- NASA will be livestream the event from Casper.
- IMAX will film portions of a full length documentary on Casper Mountain
Other Media Confirmed to be at the event: NBC Universal, TIME Magazine, CBS Denver, PBS, San Francisco Chronicle, SF Exploratorium in conjunction with NASA.
Other inquires from regional, national, and worldwide outlets have also been made.
So far, Casper’s involvement in the eclipse event has seen coverage from outlets such as the New York Times, The Associated Press, The BBC, and The Los Angeles Times
