Eclipse leaves trail of wonder, excitement in path through Arkansas

KUAR | By Daniel Breen, Josie Lenora, Maggie Ryan, Nathan Treece

Thousands gazed with wonder at Monday's total solar eclipse, which cut a 117-mile-wide path of totality across Arkansas.

The city of Little Rock's official event featured a free concert playing the entirety of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” at the First Security Amphitheater downtown. Photographer Jordan Mozley made the trip from Atlanta.

He says seeing the 2017 solar eclipse made him want to document the celestial event.

"They say this one's special... they say the next one won't be for another 300 years, for this magnitude of the eclipse. So I figured, I've got to photograph this one," Mozley said.

Eclipse leaves trail of wonder, excitement in path through Arkansas

Residents ready for total eclipse

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

In the middle of the Neolithic period more than 5,300 years ago, mysterious tombs and carvings were erected and etched in Loughcrew, an area in County Meade in Ireland. When archeologists studied these tombs and carvings one thing became clear — ancient Irish astronomers had an uncanny ability to predict celestial events such as when the winter and summer solstices would occur.

A series of spiral-shaped and circular petroglyphs was found at the Loughcrew Megalithic Monument and they depict a solar eclipse that dates to Nov. 30, 3340 B.C.E. — the oldest solar eclipse ever recorded in human history, according to NASA. Near the monument the charred remains of about 50 people were found, a possible indication of a human sacrifice to mark the event.

Civilizations throughout time have been fascinated by solar eclipses and many have assigned deep spiritual and religious meanings to these events. The phenomenon is fairly common. There are up to five each year across the world, but they impact a small area, meaning it can be rare to experience one without traveling, Arkansas State University physics professor Dr. Ross Carroll told Talk Business & Politics.

Residents ready for total eclipse

VIDEO: 2024 Total Solar Eclipse Coming with Longest Viewing Duration in SW AR; Preparations Being Made

Julianne Dunne, Hazelle Whited, Brook Kaufman, and Suzanne Babb came to our De Queen studios this morning to talk about advance planning for the 2024 eclipse.

A total solar eclipse will take place at the Moon's ascending node on Monday, April 8, 2024, visible across North America and dubbed the Great North American Eclipse by some of the media.