It's a once-in-a-lifetime event that will happen twice
Officials in Perry County are promoting their favorable position for the upcoming total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017. In the Perryville area, the sun will be totally blocked for roughly 2 minutes and 35 seconds.
Cape Girardeau's location isn't quite as favorable -- the eclipse will last for approx. 1 minute and 47 seconds -- but that should still provide a spectacular scene (weather permitting).
However, the 2017 eclipse is just a warm-up for an even better event coming in the next decade. On April 8, 2024, Cape Girardeau County will be in a prime location to view a second eclipse, and this one will last for more than 4 minutes. The path of the greatest totality passes right over Jackson!
Cape Girardeau is fortunate -- very fortunate -- to sit within a small region that will experience both total solar eclipses.
So although the 2017 event is being billed as "once-in-a-lifetime", enjoy the fact that we will get to experience this rarest of astronomical events twice without going anywhere (weather permitting, knock on wood).
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