This year at Devil’s Lake, the annual First Day hike will be a twilight hike/snowshoe…
This Thursday & Friday, Nov. 18 & 19, skywatchers (who are not under a cloudy sky) will get to enjoy a partial lunar eclipse which will be visible across America in the southern night sky.
Thursday’s “Beaver Moon” eclipse will be the longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years! In our area, it will begin around midnight (12:02 am) and reach its peak early Friday morning at 3:02 am. During the maximum, the moon should turn a dark blood red but will still be visible. Keep in mind that this is a “partial” (97%) eclipse, so just a very small sliver of the moon on the lower-left hand corner will remain dark grey. The eclipse will end at 6:02 am, making the full duration of the eclipse just over 6 hours!
Watching In The Park?
Now here’s where things get tricky. Devil’s Lake (And most Wisconsin State Parks) close at 11 pm. So unless you are camping, you cannot take advantage of the park’s darker skies and great observation areas during the eclipse. We’d like to see this change. As it is now, folks who want to fish in Wisconsin State Parks, can stay in the park after hours, be in boats on the lake after hours, and enter the park an hour before sunrise. Given that so many Wisconsin residents live in the cities where it’s hard to view astronomical events, allowing areas within our parks to be accessible for night sky viewing and astral photography seems just as appropriate as exceptions for fishing. If you agree, Let’em know. You can contact the DNR at 1-888-936-7463 or here.
Where Can You Watch?
Well, first you’ll want to keep your eye on the weather. As of today, the forecast is calling for some clouds on Thursday and cloudy skies on Friday… So will we get to see the eclipse in the middle? Hard to say! So again, watch the weather. Here’s one weather forecast for our area.
If conditions are right, the moon will be fairly high in the southern sky and easy to see slowly moving from left to right. If you can normally see the moon from your location, you’re good! The eclipse really kicks in around 1:18 am, peaks at 3:03 am, and will still be worth watching until about 4:30 am. If the southern sky is blocked where you live, we’d suggest heading out to any rural road with a good southern view. (Remember to get completely off the road while respecting private property, and be visible to oncoming cars.) Also, you should have good views from the north shore of Lake Wisconsin or the north side of the Wisconsin River in Sauk Prairie. Keep in mind, however, that most public parks will be closed.
Let’s cross our fingers and hope for some breaks in the clouds! If it’s cloudy, you can still live stream it!
For nearly 2 decades the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.
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