This year, parts of the United States will be able to witness a once in a lifetime phenomenon of the total solar eclipse. Texas especially is one state in which the viewing is expected to be incredible, so much so that many people are traveling to the state from their homes elsewhere in order to witness the eclipse themselves. One county has such high expectations for their tourism for the day and surrounding days that they already declared a state of emergency in hopes to keep people safe from the eclipse and the high population. El Paso is not one of the cities high on the list of where the best viewing experiences will be; however, the eclipse will certainly still be visible in town.
The cities expected to get the best views are where the eclipse will be in totality, and they are under the umbra for several minutes. The umbra is the darkest part of the moon’s shadow, fully blocking out the sun. It is essentially another word for totality, as standing under the umbra means you are standing in a spot in which the moon appears much larger than the sun. According to the track of the eclipse, El Paso will not have this kind of viewing experience, but other parts of Texas will, specifically Central Texas.
El Paso is still expected to go dark, reaching about 90% totality.
If you are someone who lives in the cities and states in which the eclipse will be viewable or you are traveling to one, there are some things you need to do beforehand in order to prepare. The first and arguably most important thing to do is to get proper solar eclipse protective eyewear. There are specific glasses that are made to best protect the eyes in case of a solar eclipse. The UV rays will be so bright at times that regular sunglasses will not protect your eyes at all when you are looking at the eclipse. You can buy proper eyewear online or possibly in stores as some places have likely begun selling them in the tourist towns.
We also suggest looking into local viewing events. Some cities are hosting events specifically meant to view the eclipse together as a community, with some even providing proper eyewear. Look around in your area to see if there are any such events that work for you!
