Hey, remember back in 2017 when a total solar eclipse swept across the United States? Then on the big day, Sioux Falls missed lots of the fun because of a thunderstorm. Well, we've got a couple of second chances coming up.

Later this year, in October 2023, a solar eclipse will move from Oregon, over the Rockies, then through Texas. In April 2024 a total eclipse of the Sun will draw a dark line over parts of the Midwest.

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The United States will experience solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024

A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth. The moon's shadow then brings darkness to parts of Earth.

Annular Solar Eclipse of October 14, 2023

This eclipse will enter the United States in Oregon at around 11:13 AM Central time on Saturday, October 14, 2023. It'll travel southeast over Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas.

The October event is known as an annular solar eclipse because the moon and sun's positions in the sky don't let them line up perfectly, like in a total eclipse

"An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth when it is near its farthest point from Earth. At this distance, the moon appears smaller than the sun and doesn't cover the entire face of the sun. Instead, a ring of light is created around the moon." - Space.com 

South Dakota won't see total darkness. But, we'll for sure know what's going on, it'll still get pretty dark. But, wouldn't it be so cool to be at the Four Corners or Santa Fe, NM when the eclipse passes?

April 8, 2024, North American Total Solar Eclipse

In April 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross Texas again, but this time moves northeast across the United States through the Midwest, then up through New England. The eclipse starts in Texas around 1:27 pm CDT and will end in Maine around 2:35 pm CDT.

This event will be a total solar eclipse because the sun and moon will line up just right.

"A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, completely obscuring the face of the sun. These solar eclipses are possible because the diameter of the sun is about 400 times that of the moon, but also approximately 400 times farther away" - Space.com 

South Dakota's experience in 2024 will be similar to the 2023 eclipse. Not total darkness, but the streetlights will come on. Still pretty cool. And scientists say that this one will end up being quite a few minutes longer that the eclipse in 2017.

Before the eclipse in 2017, the last time the U.S. had a total eclipse was in 1991 when one cut across Hawaii and Mexico. Before that, the last total eclipse on the mainland was in 1979, when the sky darkened in the northwestern USA.

Scenes from the August 21, 2017 Solar Eclipse

Gallery Credit: Getty Images

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