HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD
FRIEND  |
| April 8 Total Eclipse Path (w/2023 Annular) |
We are going to see the
total eclipse of the sun on April 8, 2024. The path of the eclipse enters the
United States in Texas, passing over the Hill Country (shameless plug
here) where the climax of my second novel, THE MUSIC MADE ME CRY, (Amazon)
is set, and carves a swatch of mid-day darkness (weather permitting) over
several states like Oklahoma, Missouri, Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania, and
New York. THE MUSIC MADE ME CRY Here is a map created by NASA that shows the path of the total eclipse in April with the time listed, as well as the Annular eclipse that occurred in October of last year.
This rare celestial event
in the United States last occurred on August 21, 2017, when the eclipse was
seen from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast. Before that the last total solar eclipse
that was viewable across the entire contiguous United States occurred on June
8, 1918, and the next one won’t come until 2044.
The arc of next month’s
eclipse is tantalizingly close to our home, although to get directly in the
path of the total eclipse we need to drive to Lake Placid, a good 6+ hour drive
from our home in Collegeville Pennsylvania. That’s a long way to go for a short-lived
eclipse. The totality of the eclipse lasts only 3 minutes.
We considered getting a
room to make it a longer stay, but everything is booked as people will flock to
the totality band to witness this event. “Watch” parties will be everywhere. In
Texas, where Janet’s daughter lives, she is attending such a party. Traffic is
supposed to be bad anywhere near the “totality” zone, so it’s a good thing we
are going up early.
Thankfully we have
friends in the Albany, New York area and though they are still 100 miles from
Lake Placid we are going up there a few days earlier and then drive to Lake
Placid the morning of the “event.” According to NASA we will begin to see a
partial dimming of the sun around 2:13 pm with totality beginning at 3:25 and
ending 3 minutes later.
 |
| Annular (L) - Total (R) |
April’s eclipse is
special because it’s a total eclipse which means the sun will be entirely blotted
out and the sky will turn dark. There was an annular eclipse that went through
the western half of the United States last year. An annular eclipse means the
sun’s corona will peak out from the moon creating a “ring of fire”. Depending
on the position of the moon in its orbit determines the type of eclipse.
SPEAKING OF WATCH PARTIES
The town of Lake Placid
is embracing the event and provides information to eclipse chasers as to the best
flat clear sites to view the eclipse with parking and some with amenities. There
are several watch parties in the area listed in the Lake Placid website here:
One is being held at the Herb Brooks Arena, where USA defeated the Russians in
the 1980 Olympics. The eclipse will be broadcast on the jumbotron and would be
a great alternative if the weather is poor.
SAFETY
While supplies last the
“parties” hosted by Lake Placid will provide special eclipse viewing glasses.
They look like the 3D glasses you wear at the movies but needs to be ISO 1232-2
international standard for protection. Listed below is where you can purchase
your own glasses, but our hostess is as diligent as Janet in planning for all
the details of a trip says she will provide these very necessary eclipse safety
glasses.
Safety eclipse glasses
are not sunglasses and not even the darkest sunglasses will protect your
eyes. Looking directly at the eclipse or through a camera lens or binoculars can cause
severe irreparable damage to the eyes.
Don’t believe me? Here’s
what NASA has to say about it.
 |
| Does it say: ISO 1232-2 International Standard? |
Make sure the eclipse glasses are labeled ISO 1232-2 international standard. You can usually find it on the eye
stem of the glasses, but NASA recommends NOT buying from an Amazon or eBay
dealer to avoid counterfeit, unless their website recommends the vendor. Go here: ECLIPSE EYE-SAFETY VIEWERS
To add more worry to
your day a warning from the American Astronomical Society: Safety recommendations from the American Astronomical Society
Lake Placid warns about
the influx of people to this Olympic town and recommends coming early and staying
late. There’s plenty of food and drink with several brew pubs in the immediate
area:
LAKE PLACID BREW PUBS
So, if you don’t go
blind from viewing the total eclipse, you can get blind drunk in town…. Just make
sure you have a designated driver.
Be safe and enjoy.
Love Janet and greg
© 2024 by Gregory Dunaj
