Sargent Has Been Through a 1,160 Year Eclipse Drought

I read an interesting quote recently from the book Mask of the Sun: The Science, History and Forgotten Lore of Eclipses by John Dvorak.

“Within the United States, an eclipse drought is about to end for the small community of North Platte, Nebraska. The most recent total solar eclipse visible from that location was on July 29, 957 C.E. The next will be on August 21, 2017, an eclipse drought of 1,160 years.”

Now I am assuming that this fact also applies to Sargent, Nebraska. The average frequency for a total eclipse of the sun for any given point on the Earth’s surface is once in 375 years. After August 21, the eclipse drought will be over! So join the community on the school’s football field on August 21, starting at 11:30 a.m., and let’s celebrate. Thanks to a grant from the STAR Library Network – STEM Learning in Libraries, our library is able to provide free eclipse glasses for everyone before and during the event.