Rare total solar eclipse set to dazzle Central Texas

“From small towns to large population centers, the numbers of visitors are projected to be unusually large,” M. Ray Perryman, Ph.D., wrote in the economic analysis. “These travelers will spend money locally for accommodations, meals, gasoline, and retail items. The result will be a substantial economic stimulus.”

This forecasted boom has local officials both excited and worried. More than one million eclipse tourists are expected to flock to the state. That’s on top of the estimated 12 million Texans already residing in the path of totality.

David Gonzalez, spokesperson Visit San Antonio, said the Alamo City is ready to meet the demand. While parts of the city — including the famed Riverwalk and Alamo — lie outside of totality, it is still the largest U.S. city in the viewing path, boasting almost 50,000 hotel rooms, an international airport and easy access to major highways.

“Many will stay in San Antonio because of our large hotel inventory, and then venture to the northwest side of the city or nearby Hill Country towns where the path of totality will cross,” Gonzalez said in an email. “We are confident our city will be able to provide a great experience for anyone coming to San Antonio for the eclipse.”

Even still, several Texas counties along the eclipse’s path have issued disaster declarations ahead of April 8, fearing untenable numbers of visitors. These declarations allow municipalities to seek resources from the state. Officials have also advised residents to stay off the roads and stock up on gas and supplies. 

Officials in Kerr County — home to Kerrville, which lies at the center of the eclipse’s path — are bracing for the county’s population of about 53,000 to triple. In a statement, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly warned that huge visitor numbers could “cause extreme traffic congestion on our roadways, place an enormous strain on our first responders and hospital systems, drain our food and fuel supplies and strain our city and county infrastructure to, quite possibly, over capacity.”

With a whopping four minutes and 25 seconds of expected totality, Kerrville is one of just three U.S. cities chosen by NASA to livestream the eclipse. Like others along the viewing path, the city will also host an eclipse festival, offering participants a solar salutation yoga class and on-site NASA speakers. 

Businesses and shops are also gearing up for an influx of visitors. Eclipse-themed margaritas and beer flights, celestial merchandise and other cosmic items and watch parties will greet tourists to the Hill Country area, which topped Airbnb’s list of most popular cities along the path of totality. The company recently reported a 1,000 percent surge in searches for U.S. listings along the path, with Austin and the Hill Country — along with Indianapolis, Cleveland, Dallas and Buffalo — topping the list.

The science

For astronomers at the McDonald Observatory, there is much excitement over Monday’s eclipse — an event that Howard, the observatory spokesperson, said they’re looking forward to sharing with their families. 

It is often several centuries before an eclipse passes over the same spot twice, Howard noted. She said that anybody within driving distance of the path of totality should get all the way into the path.

“The next one that is going to happen anywhere in the world is [in] 2026, and that’s going to be visible in Iceland and Spain,” Howard said. The next one that will pass over a significant portion of the U.S. won't be until 2045. “So, that’s definitely a ways off.”

After beginning in the South Pacific Ocean, Monday’s eclipse will become visible over central Mexico before entering the United States in Texas. It will then travel through 13 states, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, New York, New Hampshire and Maine, according to NASA.

Maria Kazachenko, an assistant professor in the Astrophysical & Planetary Science Department at the University of Colorado Boulder and a scientist at the National Solar Observatory, will be among the first in the country to observe the eclipse as it enters the U.S. through Eagle Pass, Texas. She said the uniqueness of what occurs during an eclipse — from darkness in the middle of the day to the exposure of the solar corona — is something to marvel at.

“A total eclipse is something unique because [it] creates a very narrow shadow across the earth where the moon fully covers the sun,” Kazachenko said in an interview. “The reason why it’s unique is because the moon has the exact size of the sun, and the sun itself is super bright.”

During totality, the moon will cover the extremely bright sun, Kazachenko explained, exposing the very dim solar atmosphere known as the corona.

“The corona is absolutely magic,” she said. “It's big [and] it’s dim, so it’s hard to see when there is no totality.” She also noted the corona “has a very, very special and unique structure — unique to every solar eclipse.”

Anybody located along the path of totality will have the opportunity to see the total eclipse. Those outside it will still be able to experience a partial solar eclipse with the proper viewing glasses.

While a partial eclipse isn’t nothing, Rohr-Allegrini said she and her family wouldn’t settle for partial. Quoting her husband, a physicist, she said that eclipses are “like being in love: It’s 100% or it’s nothing. You don’t go for partial.” 

“Very romantic and sweet,” she added with a laugh.

Fewer than one in 1,000 people have seen a total solar eclipse, according to the National Solar Observatory. While that will still hold true in general after April 8, it will likely change locally for people in the path of totality, said Kazachenko, the University of Colorado Boulder professor.

“All of a sudden people will have seen it, and they don’t have to wait for the next 200 years,” she said. “People are extremely lucky in Eagle Pass and San Antonio and Dallas.”

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