Eclipse will be an event to remember

Apr. 7—Monday's total solar eclipse should be an experience people won't forget, according to area astronomers.

Crawford, Erie and Mercer counties lie within the path of the totality, as does neighboring Ashtabula County in Ohio.

It means the region will be thrown in darkness for a brief period during the afternoon as the moon passes between the sun and the Earth with the sky turning dark — similar to dusk or dawn.

But, what should people really expect?

"It's not going to get pitch dark by any stretch of the imagination, but it will be dark, and you'll see some of the brighter objects in the sky," said Dr. David Hurd, an astronomy professor and director of PennWest Edinboro University's planetarium.

For Meadville, the partial phase of the eclipse will begin at 2:02 p.m. when the moon begins to pass in front of the sun with totality reached at 3:16:33, according to NASA's eclipse website. Totality for Meadville will last until 3:19:08 with the second partial eclipse, where the moon has completely passed the sun, ending at 4:30 p.m.

For Ashtabula, totality will begin just after 3:15 p.m. The eclipse will reach its maximum at 3:17 p.m., and totality will end two minutes later.

"Total eclipses are different because it's dark in the middle of the day," said Dr. Jamie Lombardi, an astronomer and physics professor at Allegheny College.

Even if skies are overcast, people will still get the total eclipse experience, Lombardi said.

"If it's cloudy, don't give up hope," Lombardi said. "If there are thin clouds, you can see through them with eclipse glasses. Even if they're moderately thick, you can often see the sun through it."

People will not only see the impact of the eclipse, but hear and feel its impact as well, according to the astronomers.

"When totality strikes at 3:16 p.m. (in Meadville), listen to hear how the birds change," Lombardi said. "Some will chirp more. Others will become quiet. When the light reemerges at 3:19, they'll chirp like it's dawn again."

Totality may impact other animals, both wild and domestic, Lombardi said.

"You may hear bullfrogs that hide during the day come out like it's at night," he continued. "Horses may become anxious. Cows may think it's milking time."

Hurd, who has experienced several eclipses, agrees.

"During the annular eclipse of 1994 (in northwestern Pennsylvania), I noticed the birds and insects thought it was nighttime during the day," Hurd said.

An annular solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and earth, but when the moon is at or near its farthest point from earth.

The moon appears smaller than the sun and does not completely cover the sun, creating what looks like a ring around the moon.

"If it's a warm, sunny spring day, you'll notice the temperature drop," Hurd said as the moon's shadow falls on the area during totality.

Having a view of the horizon, too, will add to the experience, according to Lombardi.

"Look for the rapidly approaching shadow," Lombardi said. "If you can look to the southwest (toward the sun), you may in the far distance see the hills turn dark from the shadow just a moment before it becomes dark where you are."

As skies darken, Venus will be visible down and to the right of the sun while Juipter will be up and to the left of the sun while Saturn and Mars will be down on the southwest horizon.

During totality, the sky also will look like a sunset in any direction.

However, those viewing the eclipse are strongly cautioned not to look at it unless wearing proper ISO-certified eye protection.

"You need to view it safely," Hurd said of viewing the eclipse. "It's never, ever safe to look at the sun without protection. You can never look at the sun without harming your eye."

"Only time it is safe — is if you're in the path of totality and then only during totality. I cannot over emphasize enough the safety component," Hurd said.

Hurd's advice is to enjoy your surroundings during the total eclipse.

"I went to Romania in 1999 for 2 minutes and 3 seconds (of totality)," Hurd said with a laugh. "It was cloudy, but it got real dark during totality. About 10 minutes after totality, the sky cleared up and we were able to watch the eclipse kind of unfold."

"Enjoy the moment," he said. "Just sit back in the surreal moment and enjoy your surroundings.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.