Scouting Report | Once & future eclipse; rocking out; digging history; elephant invasion

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The total solar eclipse frenzy that greeted parts of the country with sold out hotels and campgrounds missed South Dakota, which did not have a direct line under the event. Cloud cover over parts of the state didn’t help either. 

But amateur photographer Tom Dempster took his chances, hoping to catch a photo of the partial eclipse. He chose the hill north of downtown Sioux Falls, near the site of the Pioneers Memorial, and waited for a break. 

The clouds thinned just enough for Dempster to capture a ghostly image of the moon partially blocking the sun, a haze of clouds surrounding the two celestial bodies in the photo.

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South Dakota could be a better viewing area for the next total solar eclipse viewable from the contiguous United States. According to NASA projections, South Dakota will be just one of three states – joining Montana and North Dakota – in which the eclipse will have a direct path. The line of that eclipse will sweep in over the North Pole and Canada before dipping into the Upper Great Plains.

So it’s likely that hordes of eclipse tourists will be coming to our part of the country. Don’t worry. We have plenty of time to get ready though. NASA forecasts that eclipse taking place on Aug. 23, 2044. Let’s hope we don’t get rain.

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