Tips For Watching The Solar And Lunar Eclipses In Utah: A Complete Guide

Talk of the upcoming solar eclipse has been all the buzz lately and even though Utah won’t have the best view, you can still see it.  

The eclipse will last about two hours on April 8 and will begin at 11:25 a.m. with the best views of the total eclipse being seen around 12:30 p.m. Before that, there will also be a penumbral lunar eclipse on March 24 and 25. However, it's difficult to view as one of the most subtle eclipses according to EarthSky. 

An eclipse of the moon can only happen at full moon, when the sun, Earth and moon line up in space, with Earth in the middle. So at such times, Earth’s shadow falls on the moon, creating a lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipses happen a minimum of two times to a maximum of five times a year. As a matter of fact, there are three kinds of lunar eclipses: total, partial and penumbral. —EarthSky 

The solar eclipse coming later in April will be an awesome chance to see the moon pass between the sun and the earth at just the right time. The sky will darken for a bit and though it won’t completely limit visibility, there will be a distinct red light.  

Make sure you have proper eyewear for the event in Utah. You can get solar eclipse glasses from places that specialize in eyes and even some hardware stores sell them for the event.  

Not all places in Utah will have the best seats for the solar eclipse so if you need to travel, check out where the best places to view are here.