KREI’s Luke Turnbough contributed to this story.
One year from today, the first total solar eclipse to reach all of Missouri will occur. Perryville City Administrator Brent Buerck says his town will be one of the best viewing places.
Photo courtesy of NASA’s website
“We’ve been contacted by foreign countries and cities and universities all over the country,” says Buerck. “Before we even started planning or preparing, we were told to expect 10,000 to 20,000 people. We’re setting us a festival for that weekend.”
The eclipse, which is when the moon blocks the sun, will cause the sky to turn pitch black for about two minutes that afternoon.
The path is about 100 miles wide. The center line runs from St. Joseph, just over Ashland, and then down through St. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau.
This is the first solar eclipse to cross the U.S. in nearly a century.