Release
On Thursday, February 1, Three Valley Museum will host a presentation from Emergency Management Director, Richard Ezell, regarding the solar eclipse that will take on April 8, 2024, in Oklahoma.
“A solar eclipse is the result of the moon orbiting between the Sun and Earth,” Ezell said. “When this happens, the Moon blocks the light of the Sun from reaching Earth. During an eclipse, the Moon casts a shadow on the Earth.”
As this happens on April 8, the giant shadow will enter Bryan County near the community of Liberty on the southernmost part of the county. It will partially cover Bryan, Pushmataha, and LeFlore Counties and fully cover Choctaw and McCurtain Counties. The city of Durant will be approximately 95-98% dark for several minutes, but will have a period prior to and afterwards of partial darkness. The total time for our area to experience this phenomena of partial to near full darkness is expected to be approximately two hours and forty minutes.
“This event has been anticipated for several years, with onlookers expected to converge on our area from other states and countries, hoping to witness this natural occurrence,” Ezell said. “Emergency management personnel from across the state have trained for several months to handle the influx of people, traffic, and more.”
The next solar eclipse in Oklahoma will be August 12, 2045.
Mr. Ezell’s presentation is open to the public and will begin at 6 p.m. For more information, please contact Three Valley Museum at 580-920-1907.