Colorado Set to Experience the Spectacular Solar Eclipse of 2023

Coming in mid-October of 2023, eight U.S. states will be in the path of an annular solar eclipse, including Colorado. Are you ready to "see" the ring around the moon?

Though Colorado (along with California) will only get a small sliver of the path, we can still call up friends and relatives who don't live in the Centennial State and brag. It'll be fun for us to be a part of this natural event, that won't be happening again for another 16 years.

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An annular solar eclipse is when the moon passes in between the sun and Earth, but it happens at a time when the moon is nearly as far away from Earth as it can be. This an eclipse where it will look like the moon has a "halo."

Things like this only come around so often. As a matter of fact, this annular solar eclipse will be the last one visible in the United States until June 2039.  This could be worth making plans for an in-state road trip to the southern reaches of Colorado.

WHEN IS THE 2023 ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE?

This eclipse will be happening on Saturday, October 14, 2023. A Saturday. Perfect for taking Friday off and making a 3-day weekend out of the whole event. You can even make plans to stay at a hotel-casino within the area where the eclipse will pass over Colorado.

For about 2 1/2 hours, from the pre-partial eclipse to the post-partial eclipse, a small bit of Colorado will get the full effect of this annular eclipse. It will begin crossing the U.S. in Oregon at 9:06 a.m. (MST) and should reach Colorado by about 10:30 a.m. (MST.)

WHERE IN COLORADO WILL THE ECLIPSE PASS OVER?

The path of the eclipse will hit the furthermost southwest corner of Colorado, within the Ute Mountain Reservation and the Southern Ute Mountain Reservation.

This area of Colorado is said to have 32,000 people. I know of this area, because of a story I wrote about places you can move to in Colorado to avoid snow.  I like the idea of staying at the Ute Mountain Casino/Hotel for a couple of nights and checking out the eclipse. Who's in?