The April 8 total eclipse provides a once in several lifetimes opportunity to witness such a phenomenon in Northeast Ohio, according to local experts. This is because the last time a total eclipse occurred in the region was 1806 with the next occurrence not happening until 2444.
The eclipse will begin at 2 p.m. April 8 with a partial eclipse when the moon first begins to move in front of the sun, covering up more and more of the sun as it moves across the sky, said Dr. Chris Mihos, a Case Western Reserve University astronomer. The most anticipated part of the eclipse, called the total eclipse or totality, takes place at approximately 3:14 p.m., lasting just a few minutes. This occurs when the moon completely blocks out the sun. The partial eclipse will continue until around 4:30 p.m., when the moon finishes moving across the sun, Mihos said.
He added that observers need to make sure to wear protective glasses throughout the eclipse to protect their eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays.
"It's never good to look directly at the sun," Mihos said. "The sun, it's very bright, it damages your eyes. The sun also emits ultraviolet light. Some of that gets through the earth's atmosphere to do further damage to the eye."
Dr. Thomas Steinemann, a professor of ophthalmology at MetroHealth Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, said viewing the eclipse requires specialized glasses with the designation ISO 12312-2, which means the glasses filter out ultraviolet light. Eyewear without this designation should be avoided.
Stages of the show
Chris Hartenstine, public engagement lead at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, said some of the most visually stunning aspects of the eclipse happen not only during the totality, but immediately before and after it.
For instance, right before totality, observers will view a phenomenon known as Baily's Beads, which are glimmers of sunlight shining through the craters on the outer edge of the moon.
These "beads" then become what's known as a "diamond ring," or one glowing, bright spot of light on the edge of the moon, with a light ring surrounding nearly all of the moon just a few seconds beforehand.
Then the totality starts.
The totality lasts only three minutes and 50 seconds, but Hartenstine said the spectacle "can be a spiritual, a life-changing moment."
"At that point, we'll be able to take off our eclipse glasses," he said. "We'll be able to look and marvel at the corona, which is the atmosphere of the sun, just shining across the entire sky. If you look along the horizon, you see what looks like a 360-degree sunset as you're heading into nighttime, but it's at 3 p.m. in the afternoon."
Observers will also feel a difference, he said.
"You notice a significant and noticeable temperature change on your skin," Hartenstine said, noting that the temperature drops about 10 degrees.
People will also notice wildlife behaving differently.
"You can hear and see wildlife behaving and responding to it," Hartenstine explained. "You'll get birds chirping a little bit more, like you would hear them during sunset, during dusk. You might see them flying off with a purpose. Bees retreat back to their hives if you're in that kind of an area."
There will also be lines of shadows, known as shadow bands, running across the ground, he added.
Less than four minutes later, the totality ends. Observers will need to put their protective glasses back on and will be able to watch the process happen in reverse with the diamond ring effect followed by Baily's Beads and a partial eclipse that is smaller and smaller until the moon finishes its journey across the face of the sun around 4:30 p.m., he said.
Rare in Cleveland and the solar system
A total eclipse visible in Northeast Ohio is rare, not because solar eclipses are rare, but because of the small area where the event occurs, Mihos said.
“There's usually some kind of solar eclipse like this a couple times a year," he said. "But because the size of the shadow on the earth is so small, that's why in any particular spot on the earth, it's a much rarer event.”
Many times, the eclipse takes place where few people can see it.
"The sun and the moon and the shadow onto the earth is a very democratic process," he said. "Sometimes it's running over land, sometimes it's running over the ocean, sometimes it's running over the North [Pole] or the South Pole."
The moon casts a shadow that is only 300 miles wide on the earth, with the portion of the shadow accounting for a total eclipse being just 100 miles across, according to NASA.
Hartenstine added Earth is the only rocky planet, including Mercury, Venus and Mars, that has total eclipses.
"It's an unusual occurrence across the solar system because the moon, our Earth's moon, is 1/400 the size of the sun, but it is also 1/400 the distance from Earth than the sun," he said. "That magic proportion of that, the sun is 400 times bigger, but it's also 400 times farther away approximately, gives us this unique experience where our moon can block out the entirety of the disk of the sun."
Local NASA eclipse events
NASA's Glenn Research Center will be hosting a three-day Total Eclipse Fest 2024 from April 6 to 8 in partnership with the Great Lakes Science Center and The Cleveland Orchestra, Hartenstine said. The science and arts festival will include free concerts, performances, speakers and hands-on science activities. The fest will also host NASA TV’s live coverage of the total solar eclipse from 1 to 4 p.m. on April 8.
Hartenstine said NASA TV's broadcast provides a way to view the eclipse should bad weather obscure the view.
