The Great North American Solar Eclipse passing through North America on Monday, April 8 is a rare occurrence that will not take place again in Ohio until the year 2099. As a matter of fact, the last total solar eclipse to be visible in Ohio was documented in 1806.
As explained by NASA, a total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. People located in the center of the Moon’s shadow when it hits Earth will experience a total eclipse.
The path of totality is a 115-mile-wide track that runs 9,191 miles in length through parts of five states in Mexico (Sinaloa, Nayarit, Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua), 15 U.S. states (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine) and six Canadian Provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland).
The total duration of the phenomenon will last approximately 4 minutes and 27 seconds for totality and for the partial phases around an hour and 20 minutes. In Ohio, we can expect to witness the event a little after 3:00 PM.
Approximately 32 million people live in the direct path of the total solar eclipse. You can see the path in the map below. Those near the path like us in Muskingum County will experience a near-total eclipse but without making plans to relocate to the path of totality you will not experience the full effect of this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. Partial solar eclipses are much more common.
Safety recommendations from NASA:
- View the Sun through eclipse glasses
or a handheld solar viewer during the
partial eclipse phases before and after
totality. - You can view the eclipse directly without proper eye protection only when the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s bright face – during the brief and spectacular period known as totality. (You’ll know it’s safe when you can no longer see any part of the Sun through eclipse glasses or a solar viewer.)
- As soon as you see even a little bit of the bright Sun reappear after totality, immediately put your eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar viewer to look at the Sun.
The Muskingum County Library System is hosting a series of eclipse programs ahead of April 8. The first one happened at the New Concord Branch just prior to this issue of the Dresden Buzz being published but you can still catch the next two events held at the John McIntire Library in the Auditorium on Monday, March 25 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. or the special kid’s edition of the program on Saturday, March 30 from 1 to 2 p.m. Each participant will receive a complimentary pair of eclipse glasses for their family. To ensure you get your free pair of eclipse glasses, register ahead of time. You can register by visiting the events page on muskingumlibrary.org or by calling the library at 740.453.0391.
