Solar Eclipse 2017

What better beer to witness a solar eclipse with than a Blue Moon? Or maybe Mexican beers are more your style like a Sol (Spanish for Sun) How apropos. Although it may be a little early in the day for some of us to crack open a cold one, depending on who you are, the solar eclipse is a worthwhile event to celebrate. The fist total solar eclipse in over almost a century is scheduled to stretch across the United States from coast to coast on August 21, 2017. At 2:33 pm EDT (in East Tennessee anyways) a total solar eclipse will be visible. Around an hour and a half before at approximately 1:04 pm EDT, a partial solar eclipse will begin.

If you need an excuse to drink a day time brew during the eclipse, look no further than the Lagunitas Daytime IPA. The name says it all, although it will look closer to nighttime when the total solar eclipse hits East Tennessee. What is a total solar eclipse you might ask? Well let me explain.

A total solar eclipse is one of the greatest cosmic spectacles to witness in our galaxy! A solar eclipse occurs when the moon completely covers the sun and turns day into night for a few short minutes (~2 minutes and 40 seconds to be exact).

But BE CAREFUL. Looking directly into the sun can cause PERMANETE damage.

When the eclipse occurs, day turns briefly into night, exposing the stars and planets and the temperature noticeably drops as well.

Given the trajectory of the moon and sun, the total solar eclipse is only visible in twelve states that fall within a seventy-mile-wide corridor starting in Oregon and stretching to South Carolina. Luckily, Tennessee is one of those states for a total solar eclipse. Viewers outside of this path will still see a partial eclipse when the moon takes a “bite” out of the sun. But hold your horses, there is a small catch.

Even though the total solar eclipse runs through parts of Tennessee, the line gets fuzzy where middle and East Tennessee meet. For example, Knoxville is not part of the path for a total solar eclipse but southern suburbs like Farragut and Maryville are. If you’re not in the direct path, I-75 is your new best friend as it runs directly along the corridor. To find out if your area will witness a partial or total solar eclipse visit http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/states/TN.htm

The next total solar eclipse won’t happen again in the United States until 2024 so make the most of this cosmic celebration. Make a holiday out of it. Get festive with your favorite space themed brews and have a good, responsible time that’s out of this world. Cheers!