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Health, Science & Environment
STLPR Total Solar Eclipse
2024 Total Solar Eclipse
The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will go over the continental United States on April 8, 2024 — including a large swath of southern Illinois and Missouri.

Photos: 2024 total solar eclipse passes over Missouri and Illinois

St. Louis Public Radio | By Eric Lee,
Cristina Fletes-Mach, Brian Munoz
Published April 8, 2024 at 11:23 PM CDT
The moon passes the sun during a solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, in Ste. Genevieve. The last solar eclipse seen in the United States was 2017.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
The moon passes in front of the sun during a total solar eclipse on Monday in Ste. Genevieve. The last solar eclipse seen in the United States was in 2017.

Darkness and awe swept across southern Missouri and Illinois on Monday as the moon passed between Earth and the sun on Monday.

Total solar eclipses occur every year or two, but it is exceedingly rare for the paths of two of them to intersect only a handful of years apart, as they have in a swath of the bistate.

See photographs from the eclipse by St. Louis Public Radio's Eric Lee, Cristina Fletes-Mach and Brian Munoz, with contributions from the Michael Thomas and the Belleville News-Democrat's Joshua Carter.

Chris Mandrell, the project cooridnator for Southern Illinois University’s dynamic eclipse broadcast, focuses a telescope ahead of the total solar eclipse on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Chris Mandrell, the project coordinator for Southern Illinois University’s dynamic eclipse broadcast, focuses a telescope ahead of the total solar eclipse on Sunday at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Ben Estes, 18, of St. Charles, looks at the sun through solar eclipse glasses on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Ben Estes, 18, of St. Charles, looks at the sun through solar eclipse glasses on Monday at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
Maeve Beebe, 4, of Auburn, Mich., watches the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, at Cole Memorial Park in Chester, Ill.
Cristina Fletes-Mach
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Maeve Beebe, 4, of Auburn, Mich., watches the total solar eclipse on Monday at Cole Memorial Park in Chester, Ill.
Kelton Davis, Regional Superintendent of Schools at the Monroe-Randolph Regional Office of Education, sells eclipse glasses on Monday, April 8, 2024, prior to the solar eclipse in Red Bud, Ill. Proceeds from the sales will go toward furnishing the new therapy room and setting up a community garden at the Red Brick Safe School in Red Bud, among other things.
Joshua Carter
/
Belleville News-Democrat
Kelton Davis, regional superintendent of schools at the Monroe-Randolph Regional Office of Education, sells eclipse glasses on Monday prior to the total solar eclipse in Red Bud, Ill. Proceeds from the sales will go toward furnishing the new therapy room and setting up a community garden at the Red Brick Safe School in Red Bud, among other things.
Lilly Stetina, 13, of Hillsboro, draws a chalk version of the solar eclipse in a parking lot on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Lilly Stetina, 13, of Hillsboro, draws a chalk version of the solar eclipse in a parking lot on Monday at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
A telescope projects the solar eclipse on a filter on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
A telescope projects the solar eclipse on a filter on Monday at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
A person wearing an eclipse shirt walks past Spinach Can Collectibles, a store and museum dedicated to Popeye the Sailor man, in Chester, Ill. before the start of the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024.
Cristina Fletes-Mach
/
St. Louis Public Radio
A person wearing an eclipse shirt walks past Spinach Can Collectibles, a store and museum dedicated to Popeye the Sailor, on Monday before the start of the solar eclipse in Chester, Ill.
Leah Maciell, 46, decorates eclipse cookies on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at her bakery Cristaudo's in Carbondale, Ill. "We were not prepared for all the cookie orders that we had in 2017," she said, noting the small bakery along Carbondale's downtown has received orders for hundreds of cookies around this year’s celestial spectacle. "We basically had chefs [baking] cookies, 24/7, for the five days leading up to the eclipse."
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Leah Maciell, 46, decorates eclipse cookies on Thursday at her bakery Cristaudo's in Carbondale, Ill. "We were not prepared for all the cookie orders that we had in 2017," she said, noting the small bakery along Carbondale's downtown has received orders for hundreds of cookies around this year’s celestial spectacle. "We basically had chefs [baking] cookies, 24/7, for the five days leading up to the eclipse."
Solar eclipse-themed cookies are displayed on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at Cristaudo's Bakery in Carbondale, Ill.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Solar eclipse-themed cookies are displayed on Thursday at Cristaudo's Bakery in Carbondale, Ill.
Margaret Weibking, 75, holds up a pair of alien-inspired solar eclipse glasses on Monday, April 8, 2024, in Ste. Genevieve. The last solar eclipse seen in the United States was 2017.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Margaret Weibking, 75, holds up a pair of alien-inspired solar eclipse glasses on Monday in Ste. Genevieve. The last solar eclipse seen in the United States was in 2017.
Emre Aka, 20, of Oakville, Mo., watches a partial solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Emre Aka, 20, of Oakville, Mo., watches the eclipse on Monday at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Kathy Ferris, 76, of University City, Mo., watches the partial eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Kathy Ferris, 76, of University City, watches the partial eclipse on Monday at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
The moon passes the sun during a solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, in Ste. Genevieve. The last solar eclipse seen in the United States was 2017.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
The moon passes the sun during a solar eclipse on Monday in Ste. Genevieve.
From left to right, Washington University students Alina Haryani, 22, Bryanna Mendez, 21, Azaria Covington, 21, Deaven Crigler, 22, and Jalen Bogard, 22, watch the solar eclipseas it nears totality on Monday, April 8, 2024, at Cole Memorial Park in Chester, Ill.
Cristina Fletes-Mach
/
St. Louis Public Radio
From left: Washington University students Alina Haryani, 22; Bryanna Mendez, 21; Azaria Covington, 21; Deaven Crigler, 22; and Jalen Bogard, 22, watch the solar eclipse as it nears totality on Monday at Cole Memorial Park in Chester, Ill.
Wolfgang Bronnbauer, 23, of Belleville, stares up prior to the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, in Red Bud, Ill.
Joshua Carter/Belleville News-Democrat
Wolfgang Bronnbauer, 23, of Belleville, stares up prior to the solar eclipse on Monday in Red Bud.
A total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
A total solar eclipse on Monday at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
A 7th grade student from Remington Traditional School screams in excitement at the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve. The last solar eclipse seen in the United States was 2017.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
A seventh grade student from Remington Traditional School screams in excitement at the solar eclipse on Monday at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
People watch a solar eclipse in a field on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
People watch a solar eclipse in a field on Monday at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center.
Spectators watch the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, at Cole Memorial Park in Chester, Ill.
Cristina Fletes-Mach
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Spectators watch the solar eclipse on Monday at Cole Memorial Park in Chester, Ill.
Shane Bennett, Southern Illinois University’s Director of Development for the College of Agricultural Sciences, watches the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Brian Munoz
/
St. Louis Public Radio
Shane Bennett, Southern Illinois University’s director of development for the college of agricultural sciences, watches the total solar eclipse on Monday at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Passengers cheer as Southwest Flight 1910 departs highlighting the total solar eclipse from St. Louis to Houston, Texas on April 8, 2024 at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis.
Michael B. Thomas
/
Special to NPR and St. Louis Public Radio
Passengers cheer as Southwest Flight 1910 departs highlighting the total solar eclipse from St. Louis to Houston on Monday at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis.
The sky is seen darkened during eclipse totality aboard Southwest Flight 1910 highlighting the total solar eclipse from St. Louis to Houston, Texas on Monday, April 8, 2024.
Michael B. Thomas
The sky is seen darkened during eclipse totality aboard Southwest Flight 1910 highlighting the total solar eclipse from St. Louis to Houston on Monday.
People watch and photograph the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
People watch and photograph the solar eclipse on Monday in Ste. Genevieve.
A man points towards the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
Eric Lee
/
St. Louis Public Radio
A man points toward the solar eclipse on Monday at the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center in Ste. Genevieve.
Tags
Health, Science & Environment 2024 Total Solar EclipseTotal Solar EclipseRandolph CountyCarbondaleSte. GenevievePhotojournalismTop Stories
Eric Lee
Eric Lee was a photojournalist at St. Louis Public Radio.
See stories by Eric Lee
Cristina Fletes-Mach
Cristina Fletes-Mach is a visual communications specialist at St. Louis Public Radio.
See stories by Cristina Fletes-Mach
Brian Munoz
Brian Munoz is the Visuals Editor at St. Louis Public Radio.
See stories by Brian Munoz
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