IN THE SKY DURING APRIL*

April will be a very special month in the sky because there will be an eclipse of the Sun on April 8. Totality will be along a narrow path from central Texas to northern New York and Maine. The rest of the country will experience a partial eclipse with the amount varying by the distance to the eclipse path. Iowa is fairly close, so the Moon will cover about 80% of the Sun. A solar eclipse happens when the Moon is lined up perfectly with the Sun, and the Moon’s shadow falls on the Earth.