Total Eclipse 2017 Tennessee: Times, Duration And More

NASHVILLE, TN — The August 21 solar eclipse is one of the most anticipated astronomical events in years as cities from coast to coast will get to experience the wonder of a midday disappearance of the sun behind the moon. Luckily, Middle Tennessee is one of the best places in the country to experience the event.

Nashville is the largest city experiencing a significant period of totality and hotel rooms are filling up. The longest period of totality nationwide will be just to the northwest in Hopkinsville, Ky., where rooms have been booked for years.

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The entire Midstate will get at least a partial solar eclipse, with the path of totality bound by two northwest to southeast lines: a northern line from Bowling Green, Ky., to Farragut and the southern line from Dover through Murfreesboro down to Chattanooga.

The longest period of totality — around three minutes — runs on a parallel northwest to southeast line from the aforementioned Hopkinsville through White House to Sparta. Downtown Nashville should experience roughly two minutes of darkness around 1:28 p.m., with slightly shorter times in places southwest of downtown and longer ones northeast. La Vergne and Smyrna will also get two minutes or so about two minutes after Nashville.

Franklin is just outside the path of totality, but should experience its peak eclipse around the same time as Nashville.

For more information, check out special sites from NASA and Vanderbilt.

Image via National Weather Service