Total Eclipse of the Parks

Background

• On April 8, 2024, Austin will experience a once in a lifetime total solar eclipse in the path of totality. 
  • The next total solar eclipse that will take place in the United States of America isn’t until 2044, and only portions of the Dakotas and Montana will be in the zone of totality. 
  • In 2045, a total solar eclipse will occur with the path of totality just grazing the Texas panhandle. 
  • The southern tip of the state will be in the path of totality in 2052. 
  • Austin won’t be in the path of totality for more than 319 years.
• All 50 states (excluding most of Alaska) will experience a partial solar eclipse on April 8, but the path of totality is only approximately 115 miles wide. 
  • The path of totality will pass over portions of Mexico and the United States, ending in Canada. The center of the 115-mile-wide path is very near Austin which is why most of Austin will experience some amount of darkness.  

How To Prepare

• Stay close to home when viewing the eclipse. 
  • Because of the total solar eclipse and other events happening in Austin of April 6, 7, and 8, a higher volume of visitors is expected to be in our city over the weekend and extending into Monday.  
  • Expect travel times to take longer than usual.
• Most of the city is in the path of totality, except for few parts of southeast Austin.
  • The start and end time of totality and the length of time the sky is dark is determined by location within the path of totality.
  • The length of time in totality in Austin can vary from as little as 19 seconds at southeastern edge of the eclipse pathway, to as great as 3 minutes in some parts of west Austin.
• Plan ahead for the eclipse.
  • Start planning now where you will view the eclipse. 
  • Arrive early and stay late. Don’t try to rush to the viewing location at the last moment and expect delays afterward.
  • Help reduce traffic. Stay where you are to watch the eclipse if you can. If you don’t have a safe place from which to see the eclipse, use alternative transportation to travel to your viewing location. Plan to walk, bike, ride public transportation, or carpool if you will be viewing the eclipse from someplace other than your yard. Sign up for a free digital bus passes on April 8 with Capital Metro.
  • Have the appropriate eyewear for viewing the eclipse. According to the American Astronomical Society, a real and safe pair of solar eclipse glasses should be labeled with ISO 12312-2 (sometimes written in more detail as ISO 12312-2:2015).
  • Free eclipse glasses (limit four per person) are available beginning March 11 at the following Parks and Recreation locations: Austin Nature and Science Center, Community Recreation and Senior Centers, and Cultural Centers. 

Where to Watch in Austin

Austin Parks and Recreation identified the following parks as eclipse viewing locations. At the locations below Austin Parks and Recreation staff will be on hand from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. They will be armed with eclipse glasses, information about the eclipse, and a receptacle for recycling the eclipse glasses before you head home. The University of Texas is partnering with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department/City of Austin to make a telescope with solar filter available at the designated viewing locations in the parks. On the day of the eclipse Austin Parks and Recreation Department staff will help community members get a closer look using the telescopes on loan from the University of Texas.

Austin Locations

• Austin Nature and Science Center - Limited parking under MoPac and paid parking along Stratford Drive.
• Butler Park at Town Lake - Paid parking at Palmer Events Center. Large event at Long Center. Expect traffic delays.
• Circle C Metropolitan Park - 3 porta potties near soccer fields with a porta wash station. Permanent restroom structure available with water fountain.
• Colony Park - On-site parking may be limited since school is in session. Plan to hike/bike or walk in from neighborhood. Staff will be onsite with telescope.
• Commons Ford Ranch Park - Extremely limited parking on site. Prepare for limited availability and make alternative arrangements. Staff onsite with telescope.
• Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center – will live stream the eclipse for people who want to remain indoors. There will still be folks outside with a telescope and a solar filter between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.  On-site parking may be limited since school is in session. Plan to hike/bike or walk in from neighborhood. The eclipse will be live streamed inside facility. Staff will be onsite with telescope.
• Dick Nichols Park - 4 porta potties near playground. Water fountain available.
• Dittmar Recreation Center - Restrooms and water fountain inside facility.
• Givens Recreation Center - Facility will be open. Restroom access through facility and outdoors. Water fountains available for use.
• Gus Garcia District Park - Gus Garcia Recreation Center will be open. Restrooms and water fountain available for use. Staff will be onsite with telescope.
• Krieg Fields - Restrooms and water fountains available. Fields for game play only.
• Martin Field - Restrooms near pool and water fountain.
• Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park - On-site parking is limited. Plan to hike/bike or walk. Staff will be onsite with telescope.
• Onion Creek Soccer Complex - Parking available with portable toilets. Staff will be onsite with telescope.
• Pickfair Pocket Park - No onsite parking. Plan to hike/bike or walk. Staff onsite with telescope.
• Rosewood Neighborhood Park / Delores Duffie Recreation Center - Facility will be open. Restroom access through facility and outdoors. Water fountains available for use.
• Roy G. Guerrero Metropolitan Park - Montopolis Recreation Center will be open. Restrooms and water fountain available for use. Staff will be onsite with telescope.
• Turner-Roberts Recreation Center & Colony Park - On-site parking may be limited since school is in session. Plan to hike/bike or walk in from neighborhood. Staff will be onsite with telescope.
• Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park - 4 porta potties (3 Regular and 1 ADA). Restrooms on hill with water fountain near ball fields. Water fountain near playground. Staff onsite with telescope.
• Zilker Botanical Garden - Paid parking along Stratford Drive. Restrooms in the main building. Free entry to garden.
• Zilker Metropolitan Park, The Great Lawn - Paid parking. Expect significant traffic in are due to proximity to major transportation corridors anticipated to be impact by eclipse related travel. Staff onsite with telescope.

Note:  Do not use amplified music in viewing locations. Additionally, vending is not allowed at these locations, except for permitted vendors who have received prior authorization. 

Help Keep OurParks Clean and Green!

• Austin Parks and Recreation will be practicing Leave No Trace in Austin's parks and on the trails.
• Make sure to drop your eclipse glasses off in one of the designated eclipse glasses recycling receptacles in the park before you head home.
• Or bring your eclipse glasses to Austin Parks and Recreation facilities and Austin Public Libraries through April 26, 2024.
• Austin Parks and Recreation aims to make our events inclusive and accessible. To make the eclipse accessible to people with visual impairments Austin Parks and Recreation will have Light-Sound Devices at the designated viewing sites. 
• Do not use amplified music in viewing locations. Additionally, vending is not allowed at these locations, except for permitted vendors who have received prior authorization. 

Safe Viewing During a Total Solar Eclipse

As the moon is moving in front of the sun viewers must wear protective eyewear (certified eclipse glasses or level 14 welding goggles). Once the moon completely covers the sun, the eclipse will no longer be visible through the eclipse glasses. During totality, the viewer can remove their eclipse glasses and see the corona. Only people viewing the eclipse from within a 115-mile-wide path of totality can glimpse the sun's corona (its hotter outer atmosphere that will look like a spiky ring of light) with their naked eyes during totality. 

For people interested in taking photos and video of the eclipse, it is important to remember that cameras require a solar filter to safely capture images. Looking through the lens of a camera, telescope, or binoculars while wearing eclipse glasses puts your eyes at risk because the lens will magnify the sun’s rays and could burn a hole through the eclipse glasses. 

Events

Monday, March 25, 2024
NASA Partner Full-Moon Swim
Barton Springs South Entrance

• The Austin Nature and Science Center invites you to join us at the south entrance of Barton Springs as they host a NASA partner and Eclipse Ambassador for a talk before the Full-Moon Swim. Learn from expert and educator, Dawn Davies, about the upcoming total solar eclipse. Dawn Davies, Hill Country Alliance’s Night Sky Program Manager, has over a decade of astronomy outreach and dark sky preservation experience. She has served on the board of the Austin Astronomical Society and as a volunteer advocate for the International Dark-Sky Association. Other astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts will be on hand to help you explore the night sky with a telescope and participate in fun hands-on learning activities. Free eclipse glasses will be distributed at the event. Activities from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. NASA Ambassador presentation and Q&A from 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Activities and night sky viewing from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 

Saturday, April 6, 2024 - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Total Eclipse of the Park
Austin Nature & Science Center

• NASA will be at the Austin Nature and Science Center the weekend before the total solar eclipse. All weekend you can hear NASA scientists talk about eclipses and oceans on other planets and learn the latest news from the Mars Rover Mission. Before you leave get a selfie with the 2D version of the Perseverance rover and the Mars-scape.  Don’t forget to check out the ROV-E, a six-wheeled rover that will be driving about the grounds of the Nature Center. While you’re here visit the planetarium and engage in hands-on activities that will prepare you for viewing the eclipse.

Sunday, April 7, 2024 - 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Total Eclipse of the Park
Austin Nature & Science Center

• NASA will be at the Austin Nature and Science Center the weekend before the total solar eclipse. All weekend you can hear NASA scientists talk about eclipses and oceans on other planets and learn the latest news from the Mars Rover Mission. Before you leave get a selfie with the 2D version of the Perseverance rover and the Mars-scape.  Don’t forget to check out the ROV-E, a six-wheeled rover that will be driving about the grounds of the Nature Center. While you’re here visit the planetarium and engage in hands-on activities that will prepare you for viewing the eclipse.

Share Your Eclipse Experience with PARK

• Whether you are watching from a park, your home, or somewhere else, Austin Parks and Recreation would love to hear about your TotalEclipseATX experience.  Share your thoughts and photos with us at TotalEclipseATX@austintexas.gov, or on Instagram at AustinCityParks using #TotalEclipseATX. Stories and images will be collected for a time capsule that will be kept at the Austin Nature & Science Center.