The imminent government shutdown could cause the closure of U.S. National Parks preparing for a «ring of fire» annular solar eclipse on Saturday, October 14.
The imminent government shutdown could cause the closure of U.S. National Parks preparing for a major solar eclipse on Saturday, October 14.
That would disrupt travel plans for thousands of people headed to dozens of parks in the western U.S. warn experts.
“The trouble for the shutdown this year is it’s happening October 1, just two weeks before an annular solar eclipse is crossing through over a dozen iconic and heavily visited national parks in the American southwest, said astronomer, artist and eclipse-chaser Tyler Nordgren, talking at the Solar Eclipse Planning Workshop this weekend in San Antonio, Texas.
Over 100 events organizers gathered in the city’s Scobee Education Center at San Antonio College to discuss plans for both the annular solar eclipse and a total solar eclipse on April 8 next year that will cross 15 U.S. states.Disrupted Plans
From Crater Lake in Oregon through Bryce Canyon, Glen Canyon, Capitol Reef, Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde, all have been heavily advertising as places for people to go see the eclipse. “People have been planning to go to those national parks for months,” said Nordgren, who has created vintage-style posters specially for the eclipse themed to many of the parks affected.
Although a partial solar eclipse will be seen across the U..S. on October 14, a “ring of fire” will only be seen by those within a 125 miles wide path through parts of Oregon, northern California, southwestern Idaho, Nevada, Utah, northeastern Arizona, southwestern Colorado, New Mexico and Texas.
