18 News
October 18, 2023
THE POLK COUNTY
Pulse
Annular eclipse plays hide ‘n’ seek at Queen Wilhelmina State Park
By Ethan Nahté
The morning of the annular eclipse, Saturday, Oct. 14, began with clear skies and chilly temperatures for western Arkansas. It looked promising to observe the celestial event, and several people in the area appeared to be looking forward to it. Several visitors and vendors at the 14th Annual Sorghum Festival in Mount Ida, as well as an equally large crowd on the other side of Mount Ida at the Gem and Mineral Show, had sporadic clouds but enough of a clear eyeline that the vendors at the gem show were passing around a welding helmet with a tinted visor to catch a glimpse of the eclipse, which was covering somewhere between 70%-75% of the sun at its maximum point in the area. There were reports the viewing in Talahina, Oklahoma, was pretty nice.
The annular eclipse was not a total bust. (Photo by George West) It appeared there was a great view ibeow Rich Mountain if one was to judge by looking out over Lake Wilhelmina, seeing the sun reflecting off the lake and nearby chicken houses. Being at Queen Wilhelmina State Park was expected to be nice, as well, not to mention high above utility lines and other obstacles… but not high enough for the thick blanket of clouds
that rolled in just as the eclipse began and basically just parked over the peak. The ideal location within the direct path were places such as Albuquerque, New Mexico, or south-central Texas and the Hill Country around Austin and down to San Antonio. This was their first annular eclipse since 1940. They got to witness the spectacular Ring of Fire. Arkansas State Park Interpreter Ivory Detter had a Telrad telescope waiting to be set up, a box of approved solar eclipse glasses, and bags of popcorn and peanuts to give away. She was quite surprised by the turnout, expecting 50 or fewer people. She did a quick head count and estimated there were over 100 adults and 20-30 children. She gave instructions on what was going to happen, how she was divvying up the glasses since there were more people than she anticipated, and
warned people not to look at the sun even when it was at its maximum point. More clouds rolled in, the wind was whipping at a constant 20 mph or more and the temperature began to drop. Most of the crowd went into the lodge to wait it out. With the windchill, the temperature was easily in the low 40s and several people were unprepared, only wearing short sleeves and shorts. The eclipse occurred and a few people managed to get a few quick shots, including former history teacher George West and his wife, also a former educator. The one or two dozen stalwarts who remained were excited and quite verbal with what they were able to observe with the glasses as noon approached and the eclipse reached its maximum point, so the event was not a total bust. Here’s hoping for better luck come Apr. 8, 2024.
