Total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 - Fort Smith, Arkansas

Fort Smith, Arkansas, USA

What will the 2024 total solar eclipse look like?

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Click on the interactive maps below!
They will show you roughly when the eclipse will be happening.
Exact details for MANY more locations are available on our 2024 eclipse cities pages.

Interactive 2024 eclipse map for Fort Smith

Map of the Fort Smith area, showing the path of totality in gray

Detailed Interactive 2024 eclipse map for Fort Smith

Detailed map of the Fort Smith area, showing the path of totality in gray

(Please note that Eclipse2024.org does not endorse or approve any specific viewing sites related to the 2024 eclipse. Selection of a suitable viewing site, including due diligence, weather considerations, infrastructure, travel, logistics, understanding of time zones, avoidance of trespassing on private lands, and safety considerations, is solely the responsibility of the eclipse observer.)

You MUST use certified eye protection ("eclipse glasses")
whenever ANY PART of the Sun’s disk is visible.

In Fort Smith, you must ALWAYS use your eclipse glasses to view the eclipse.

The Total Eclipse of April 8, 2024

Another total solar eclipse is coming to North America! This time, totality will also pass over Mexico and Canada – giving people all over North America another chance to experience this great celestial event.

In order to see totality, you have to be in the path of totality. If you aren’t in that path, you’ll only see a partial eclipse. You can learn more about those details with our simple eclipse viewing instructions guide.

This blog post will tell you about the 2024 eclipse as seen from the Fort Smith area in Arkansas. Please check out all the links we’ve provided below to learn more about the 2024 total solar eclipse from other locations.

The Total Eclipse of April 8, 2024 in Fort Smith

Fort Smith is tantalizingly close to the path of totality, but unfortunately the eclipse will not be total there.

Where can I see the total eclipse?

The path passes southeast of town, and you can see on the map where you should try to be on eclipse day. If you want to head east on I-40, then Russellville will see 4m10s of totality, and Atkins will get five more seconds than that! You can get to the centerline by heading south on 71, and then on US270. Mt. Ida is south of the centerline, but still sees more than four minutes of totality!

The Regional Airport is NOT in the path of totality, but that little stretch of I-49 that connects US71 with 255 is! If you’re there or farther south, you’ll see more than a minute of totality.

What will I see on eclipse day?

If you stay in Fort Smith on eclipse day, you’ll see a very deep partial eclipse, with some sky darkening and perhaps some interesting edge effects. There may even be a hint of corona, but it will not be safe to watch the eclipse directly without using your eclipse glasses. "Close" just isn’t close enough when it comes to a total eclipse!

It’s certainly true that any type of eclipse is an exciting event, but we’d like to encourage you to make it into the path if at all possible on eclipse day. What you’ll see there (vs. back home in Fort Smith) will be literally the difference between night and day!

Remember that even if you are in the path of totality, if the Sun is not COMPLETELY eclipsed you MUST always use ISO-certified eye protection to watch the eclipse. You MUST use your eclipse glasses to observe all the partial phases.

When will the eclipse happen?

Eclipse day is April 8, 2024!

In Fort Smith, the most interesting things will happen at mid-eclipse.

This occurs at about 1:50pm CDT.

But remember, you should be IN the path in order to see anything REALLY exciting.

The eclipse happens at different times in different locations. Use the slider on the map above to show you when totality will happen as the eclipse passes through the Fort Smith area.

Use ISO-certified eye protection during the partial phases

ISO Certification Always remember the rule for using eye protection during an eclipse: If there’s ANY bright part of the Sun showing, then you have to use your eclipse glasses to watch the event.

That means if you can see anything at all of the Sun through the glasses, then the Sun is too bright and you have to leave the glasses on! If you can see absolutely NO piece of the Sun through the eclipse glasses, then it’s safe to take them off. But the second any bright part of the Sun becomes visible again, you have to put them back on – and this can be mere seconds after you took them off.

We also have an entire section of the site dedicated to providing much more detailed eclipse viewing instructions for you!

There are so many places you could choose to watch the eclipse from. Wherever you decide to view from, be sure to plan your route carefully, and watch the weather to make sure you’ll have good skies on eclipse day.

Check out the Eclipse2024.org Eclipse Simulator!

You can also check out Eclipse2024.org’s eclipse simulator for any location you’d like to preview. The simulator will show you exactly what the eclipse will look like for any location you choose!

Eclipse2024.org Eclipse Simulator videos!

If you'd just like to preview the eclipse without using the simulator, we've made videos for the 2023 annular eclipse and the 2024 total eclipse as seen from over 2,200 locations! You can find them on our 2024 eclipse YouTube channel, but we've made it even easier for you - just visit our eclipse simulator video page to get started!