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The 2024 Eclipse

KC Parent's Guide to the Eclipse

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According to NASA:  "The Monday, April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.  Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT. The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton. The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT."

For those in the Midwest, the path of totality is passing over southeast Missouri a little before 2:00 p.m. Totality is predicted to last nearly four and a half minutes (double that of the 2017 eclipse!), this is a "bucket list" astronomical event you won't want to miss. 

April 8, 2024 Eclipse Schedule for Kansas City

(39.1225° N, 94.7418° W)

Learn about the solar system and the eclipse.

Learn at home. We remember what we understand. For children, this will be a truly memorable experience, especially if they learn about the eclipse ahead of time. Many YouTube videos explain the eclipse simply for kids.  For hands-on educational fun, learn about the solar system with the Secrets of Space Kit from Magic School Bus. 

Recommended books for children:

Recommended books for teens and adults:

Make a shirt. Learn how to paint your very own shirt to commemorate the Great American Total Solar Eclipse!

Head to Science City at Union Station. Take a trip to Science City and catch a show at the planetarium. Spend time in the Science on a Sphere exhibit, where children learn about Earth and our solar system.

Go on a day trip to Hutchinson, KS. Visit the Kansas Cosmosphere, a Smithsonian-affiliated museum in Hutchinson (just a few hours west of KC), which chronicles the space race through stories, displays of real spacecraft, hands-on exhibits, live rocket shows, and more.

Go stargazing. Enjoy stargazing at Powell Observatory in Louisburg, where they offer public viewing parties on Saturday evenings. There you can view the night sky through the Ruisinger telescope. Or on a Friday night, check out the free Warkoczewski "Warko" Observatory, located on the roof of Royall Hall on UMKC’s campus. Warko is open on most clear Friday evenings through October, beginning at dusk, for viewing of the moon, planets, bright star clusters, and nebulae.

Attend a Program to Learn about the Eclipse

Linda Hall Library is hosting a free program on March 9. In their presentation, Jackie Beucher from the Astronomical Society of Kansas City and astronomer David Levy (joining virtually) will discuss everything you need to know to plan your eclipse trip: Where to see it, what to expect, and how to safely view it. Register here.

The Mid-Continent Public Libraries are hosting eclipse events to educate families about the experience. On April 8, 2024, Southeast Missouri near Popular Bluff will offer some of the best viewings of the total solar eclipse. Learn the science behind eclipses, all about the special effects the moon and the sun create together, and when, where, and how best to safely view it. Click here for information and registration.

Tip: Discover more local Kansas City Area Eclipse Events here.

Be Prepared

Kansas City will not experience a total eclipse in 2024, but the sky will still be beautiful. On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will paint the skies in mesmerizing hues and Kansas City will experience that. We recommend viewing from parks with wide open spaces, Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, Powell Gardens, or Rooftop Park in Downtown Kansas City.

This chart shows when to expect the partial eclipse phase to begin when totality will begin, and the duration of totality in the communities in this article. Source: GreatAmericanEclipse.com/missouri-2024-eclipse.

Remember the importance of eye safety during an eclipse and follow this advice from NASA.

Head to one of Missouri's State Parks or locations in the Path of Totality

There are 20 state parks and historic sites where you can see the 2024 total eclipse in the southeast region of Missouri. You will also have the opportunity to experience a partial solar eclipse at all other facilities in Missouri's state park system. It will be another 20 years – Aug. 23, 2044 – before the next total solar eclipse will be seen from the contiguous United States, so you won't want to miss this exciting event. See MoStateParks.com/2024-eclipse for information and locations.

Or, use this link for a list of Missouri cities in the path of totality and when they will experience it. If you do choose to travel to experience totality, be sure to purchase approved Eclipse Glasses (available on Amazon and other online retailers).

Bonus: Use this link for a list of Arkansas State Parks where you may experience the eclipse.

What to Expect in Kansas City

In this animation from Eclipse2024.org, the Sun is correctly oriented as it will appear in the sky from Kansas City.

This eclipse simulator from Eclipse2024.org recreates all the amazing effects of the eclipse!

Eclipse Events in KC:

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