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Three state parks to witness next total solar eclipse
By: Journal Record Staff//September 8, 2023
Attractions at Oklahoma state parks like Beavers Bend and Wister may be hard to overshadow, but that’s exactly what will happen when the next total eclipse of the sun occurs on April 8, 2024.
On that day, attractions like the great fishing at Beavers Bend and wonderful scenic views at Wister will be overshadowed – at least for a while – by the attention demanded from above.
And that’s a great reason to book a trip now, according to officials from the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.
Total eclipses of the sun occur only rarely. If people miss out on witnessing the one that will occur on April 8 of next year, they’ll have to wait until 2044 or 2045 for the next ones to come around. And even then, total eclipses will be viewable only in other states, astronomers say.
So, Oklahoma stargazers who want to get the best views of the next total eclipse should plan ahead.
Travel officials have reported that state and national parks can be great places from which to observe eclipses, and they typically book many reservations, often months in advance.
While six of Oklahoma’s state parks will witness at least “99% totality” during the next annular eclipse, three – Beavers Bend, Wister and Talimena State Park, will experience a total solar eclipse. Visitors at Beavers Bend State Park, located in the southeast corner of Oklahoma, will experience a total eclipse for 4 minutes and 15 seconds in all, close to the longest duration of anywhere in its path over the U.S. from Texas to Maine.
“Oklahoma State Parks will have some of the best locations in the country to watch the 2024 eclipse,” Tourism and Recreation Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt said.
Zumwalt said it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a total eclipse while surrounded by such natural beauty.
And before and after the solar event, park patrons will get to enjoy many other attractions. At Beavers Bend, for example, patrons can enjoy hiking, biking, boating, fishing, water skiing, nature center activities, river float trips, canoeing, horseback riding and more – in addition to eclipse viewing. The 3,482-acre park offers 47 cabins with kitchenettes, plus 393 campsites and over 50 tent sites spread across eight camping areas.
To reserve your spot at Beavers Bend or one of the other parks in the path of the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse, go to TravelOK.com.
To be clear, technically, the next eclipse – an annular eclipse – will occur on Oct. 14 of this year. But it will be different.
The difference between an annular eclipse and a total eclipse has to do with the distance between Earth and the moon at the moment they align perfectly with the sun. During an annular eclipse, the moon is too far from the Earth to completely obscure the sun. A total eclipse is a lineup of the sun, moon and Earth at a time when the moon is closer. Totality (total eclipse) occurs when the moon covers the entirety of the sun.
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