Solar Eclipse in Bozeman MT on 21-Aug-2017

A total solar eclipse is expected to be observed by thousands of people in the United States on August 21st, 2017. I'm sure many folks have a plan to fly or drive somewhere to watch this spectacular event. Unfortunately, Bozeman is located slightly outside the path of totality. This means that the Sun will not be totally covered by the Moon. However, about 95% of its area will be covered and only leave a thin crescent Sun. It is such a rare event that you should not miss this amazing phenomenon.

This page is dedicated to those folks who observe this eclipse in Bozeman!

Most importantly ...

Observe it Safely!

Never look at the Sun directly with your eyes, ALWAYS use eclipse glasses.
Never look at the Sun through a telescope or binoculars, unless they are specially set up for solar observation.
Although the Sun may not seem as bright through ordinary sunglasses, an exposed negative, a ND-filter for camera, only use specific sun-viewing glasses and devices.
Improper protection can damage your eyes and may cause blindness.
If it is cloudy, be even more careful, as you may be tempted to look at the Sun directly for long minutes.

Eclipse prediction

Data are calculated with the online service provided by the Ephemeris Computation Office at National Astronomical Observatory Japan regarding the following location. (12-May-2017)

Location: Barnard Hall (formerly EPS building), Montana State University, Bozeman MT.

Latitude: 45.666 (deg) N
Longitude: 111.046 (deg) W
Altitude: 1488 (m) above sea level

Date	Time (MDT)	Altitude Sun (deg)	Degree of Eclipse mag.() obsc.(*)	Notes
2017/08/21	10:17:54	37.7	0.000, 0.000	Eclipse begins
2017/08/21	10:20:00	38.0	0.028, 0.006
2017/08/21	10:40:00	41.1	0.295, 0.185
2017/08/21	11:00:00	44.0	0.554, 0.456
2017/08/21	11:20:00	46.8	0.806, 0.761
2017/08/21	11:35:52	48.8	0.956, 0.951	Greatest eclipse
2017/08/21	11:40:00	49.3	0.936, 0.927
2017/08/21	12:00:00	51.5	0.709, 0.641
2017/08/21	12:20:00	53.3	0.467, 0.358
2017/08/21	12:40:00	54.7	0.224, 0.124
2017/08/21	12:58:36	55.7	0.000, 0.000	Eclipse ends

(*) Magnitude: Percentage of diameter of Sun covered by Moon.
(**) Obscuration: Percentage of surface area of Sun covered by Moon.

Click Time column link to show a plot of that particular time.
If you'd like more detail data, they are found here.

What can local viewers expect?

It's a fake sunset. So we would feel like being in the twilight. So you can expect to observe ...
- Drop of air temperature,
- Birds and animals might behave like they do at dawn or dusk.
You might notice the shadows of leafy trees look unusual.
You can't see the solar corona, because the Sun is not completely covered by the Moon in Bozeman area.

Solar viewing information

8/21 10:00 -- 13:00 MDT in front of the MSU Library (green area between Montana & Hamiliton Halls). We will provide eclipse viewing glasses on site and demonstrate observations by telescopes and other safe and fun observing method. MSUtoday announcement

Facts and Links

Next solar eclipse we can see in Bozeman: 2023/10/14 (Partial, mag=0.78).
Last solar eclipse we saw in Bozeman: 2014/10/23 (Partial, mag=0.64, photo by P. Rugheimer).
Last TOTAL solar eclipse observed in Bozeman: 1979/02/26.
At the time of this eclipse (20170821), the Mars will be in the NW to the Sun, and the Mercury will be in the SE. [star chart].
At the time of this eclipse, the Regulus (alpha star of the constellation Leo) locates very close to the Sun. [ star chart].
NASA Javascript Solar Eclipse Explorer
NAOJ Ephemeris Computation Office