The Great Solar Eclipse

Where were you during the Great North American Solar Eclipse of 2024?

Many people will remember where they were and what happened to them on April 8th for years and tell their children about it. In spite of the cloudy day, the moon began moving between the Earth and the sun at around 2 p.m. ET; a partial solar eclipse was formed, and at about 3:18 p.m., the moon fully blocked the sun, causing a total solar eclipse to be visible. Because of the clouds, many people who had traveled great distances to see it and had bought their special glasses and arranged accommodations felt somewhat of a downer but gathered nonetheless, even if only to observe the eerie darkness.

Crowds of thousands on both sides of the border lined up to view the spectacle in parks and tourist spots along the Niagara River. They were not disappointed when a break in the clouds allowed for a great view. One spectator said it looked like “the moon and then fire coming out.” 

With over a million people coming to Niagara Falls that day and having to be somewhere that afternoon, I decided to leave the area early in the morning. I stopped at a coffee shop for a cup to take with me. Several Police officers had the same idea and were fueling up to manage whatever happened. Niagara police advised of road closures in Niagara Falls and Fort Erie, Ontario, beginning at 11 a.m. People were advised to stay put for the duration.

As I hit the road around 7:00 am, traveling from the New York side of the border to the Ontario side, the traffic going back toward Niagara Falls was indeed heavy for several hours. I was fortunate that there was not that much going in my direction. I made it to Stratford via the old highways due to a car problem a little before 2 pm and looked out to see what the scene might look like in the park-like setting where I was at that time. I did not have a view of the eclipse itself, but the special light -or dark, depending on how you would see it, was quite interesting.

I can understand how Aboriginals would have wondered about it. It was definitely an out-of-the-ordinary light-dark day. The sky had cleared, and the sun was out where I was in Stratford, Ontario. It was beautiful and sunny, with almost ready-to-peek-out spring foliage and flower gardens lit up and glistening. Gradually, and yet with a sudden determination, the sky turned from a bright blue to a muted greyed-down version of itself. The garden scene where I was remained oddly sunny, but as if a dimmer switch had been activated. The sky became darker, yet not like at night; it was still semi-light. The deepness of the dimmer switch slowly intensified and then slowly went the other way, and again, we were in full sunshine. It was very odd and mysterious looking. I think experiencing that was almost as magical as if I had seen the “moon on fire.“

Now you can see Eclipse from Orbit on X

What they said about the eclipse prior to the day it happened…

The Great North American Solar Eclipse is scheduled to be visible as it passes over the Greater Niagara Region and New York, USA, into Ontario, Canada, on April 8th, 2024.

Eclipse Visibility

Visibility of the Eclipse enters New York State at 2:03 pm EDT. Totality begins at 3:16 p.m. and ends at 3:29 p.m. when it exits the State into Ontario at about 4:37 p.m EDT

The Eclipse will be visible from Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, with Syracuse getting about 1 minute and 24 seconds of total visibility. Rochester will get about 3 minutes and 39 seconds of totality, with the Niagara Region and Buffalo expecting about 3 minutes and 45 seconds of totality before it passes into Ontario. The Centerline will travel over Lake Ontario.

The total Centerline is 359 miles long. Travel Time is 8 minutes 56 seconds. The Average Speed is 2,208 miles per hour!

During a Solar eclipse, the moon, which is in the New Moon phase, passes between the sun and the earth. The shadow of the moon falls on the earth, not on the sun. The moon is smaller than the Earth, so its shadow covers only a small area on the Earth at a time as it passes by. The moon’s shadow won’t cover the whole planet at once.

During an eclipse, there is a path or direction called a Totality, where the sun and its light are completely eclipsed by the moon. On each side of this path are the areas where a partial eclipse is seen, and the moon does not block out all of the sun.

Have some fun, and get together with friends and family. Enjoy the experience!

If you are planning on watching the eclipse from Niagara Falls, Canada, CTV News reports that as of March 21st, “Nearly all of Niagara Falls’ 14,000 hotel rooms are booked in the days surrounding a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse on Apr. 8.”

Niagara Falls, USA, still has some accommodations available. The Niagara Falls USA website also has a list of other interesting events.

More than the Eclipse… a Comet too!

the Cryovolcanic comet 12P/Pons-Brooks

Many people will be watching. Even the earth’s smallest creatures will lift their heads and take a look at this once-in-a-lifetime event!

A Dragonfly finds the perfect perch to view the Eclipse and the Cryovolcanic comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on April 8th, 2024. It will appear to the left of The Great Solar Eclipse. Keep your scopes peeled just to the right of Jupiter!

There are numerous events planned to celebrate the Solar Eclipse. Why not see what is happening in your area?

The Sunday Journal – Lorain, Ohio, Sunday, March 8, 1979

The whole date for the newspaper is not legible, showing only 19– clearly, but the last full eclipse is said to be 1979, so we are going with that date. The price of the Newspaper was $.15