And Then The Sky Turned Dark!

 The solar eclipse of 2024, “The Great American Eclipse” was something that I had been looking forward to for years, if not decades. Seeing that it would pass so close to my home, I knew I had to see it.

    As the years passed by, it wasn’t constantly on my mind but yet, it never was far from it, especially in the past couple years. Astronomy magazines were writing stories about it and as the event came closer, the news stations started picking up on it. Local city governments started warning about the possible influx of people and motels and hotels started raising their rates. Eclipse mania was rising.

(Locations of various AAAP members during the eclipse)

    Ann Marie's brother and sister-in-law have a farm in Indiana, only a few miles away from the centerline of the eclipse. The decision was made to observe from there, they were gracious enough to welcome us to their home. Our "reservations" were made well over a year before.

    I tried my best not to worry about the weather because that was the biggest deal-breaker. If the clouds moved in or it was raining, there was nothing we could do but except it. While we were driving west across Ohio, we drove through rain and the skies were cloudy. Occasional patches of sunlight raised my hopes. We drove over on a Friday, four days before the big event.

    There was a definite police presence on the highways. Signs warned about the upcoming event and suggested staying late after the eclipse to avoid traffic jams. Entering Indiana, we saw t-shirt stands with eclipse shirts for sale along with ads for various eclipse events. 

    Saturday was beautiful, clear skies and warm temperatures. I caught the thin moon rising in the morning. A couple geocaching trips were made during the day. That evening I set up my telescope and we had an impromptu star party. Jupiter and its moons hung on the edge of the western horizon with Orion close behind. The Beehive Cluster was easily seen by eye. 

    It was a late night, the dark skies overhead had plenty of things to visit!

    Sunday morning, the day before the eclipse, I attempted to see the thin crescent moon, but was unsuccessful. The brightness of the morning and the thinness of the moon thwarted me. The next day the moon would be new, and nearly touching the sun as they rose, I’d have to wait until the afternoon to see the moon, during the eclipse!

    The weather was less than desirable. We went hunting for morels and saw a double rainbow in the afternoon. The rainbows were a foretelling of what was to come!

    Monday morning was clear with only a small bit of fog, off in the distance, over top of the river. I still didn’t want to get my hopes up. Some friends of the family flew in (using their own planes) to view the eclipse with us. We ended up with eleven of us at the farm, sitting outside the house, patiently waiting as the moon slowly drifted in front of the sun.

    We did an experiment with a colander, allowing the sunlight to shine onto a paper plate held below it. All the bright spots reflected the image of the partially eclipsed sun, even the rectangular spots!

    The temperature dropped enough for us to notice it and the sky took on a darker appearance as the moon worked its way across the suns disc. A couple people said how it looked as if a storm was coming and how they felt a bit disorientated. The colors of the patio furniture got more intense, and the shadow of my pen seemed sharper as I scribbled notes. We could see the moon's shadow before it hit us, it moved towards us at a tremendous speed. 

    And then the sky turned dark! Real dark, night-time dark. Looking up, the first thing I noticed was Jupiter and Venus sitting on either side of the pair. The area surrounding the sun was brilliant white with spikes. Using binoculars, I could see a bright pink dot on the lower portion of the moon. It was a prominence, a flare coming off of the sun. The pink color was caused by the hydrogen that was burning in it. Others around me saw it also, confirming my skeptic observation.

Totality, taken by Sarah Balzer

I felt emotions rushing through me. I seriously felt as if I might cry. I didn’t know whether to jump up and down or to laugh, yell or scream. I think I might have done a bit of all of them.

We had just over 4 minutes of totality and it proved to me that time is not constant. It was over before we realized it; time had sped up during this experience, no doubt about it!

    While the moon slowly continued past the sun we all started talking and comparing our experiences. Phones were used to check pictures and to contact others to see what they thought about the eclipse. In the yard, the bees were returning to their hives.

    It was nice sharing the experience with others! We all became a community together, people from all over coming together to experience this show that our universe was putting on for us! The word camraderie popped into my head.

    Later that evening, after the sun (and moon) had set, I set up the telescope again and we had another nice dark evening of star gazing. We packed our gear the next morning and after another wonderful meal, Ann Marie and I returned back to the Pittsburgh area. Coming back we heard more eclipse tales on the radio. We had no problems with traffic but we did see a lot of policemen, same as when we were coming out.

    We made it home a bit before sunset and I didn’t even check to see what the sky was like, I had a bed waiting for me! The trip was a life event, something I doubt if I’ll ever see again. I waited a long time to see this and believe me, I wasn’t disappointed!

What Will You Be Doing on April 8th?

    Have you decided what you are going to do on April 8^th, 2024? If you are anywhere close to where I live, you are within a couple hours drive to the path of totality for the solar eclipse! The eclipse will be visible across the entire continental US, though it will be a partial eclipse for most of states. For those living in or near a narrow path between Texas and Maine, they will be able to experience totality!

    Here in Pittsburgh, the sun will almost be covered by the moon, only 3% will remain uncovered. While it will get dark, you will still need proper protection for your eyes when you are looking at the sun. I met a woman during the last partial solar eclipse who was afraid to look up into the sky because she was afraid she might get blinded. When I offered her my filtered glasses to look through, she politely declined. She decided to stay in the car rather than risk her eyesight. Sadly she missed something that she might have remembered for the rest of her life.

    By driving a couple hours to the north or the west you can enter the path of the eclipse, where the sun will be completely covered by the moon. If you have the opportunity, I’d take it! For most of us, this will be a once in a lifetime event.

      Depending on where you are located, the amount of totality will differ. The entire eclipse will last about 2 1/2 hours (+/-) while totality, the time when the sun is completely covered, will last about four minutes. Less if you’re sitting away from the center of the path. People in Erie will be treated to 3 minutes and 40 seconds of totality while people further south in Edinboro will be getting 3 minutes and 19 seconds. Those in Titusville will be getting about 51 seconds. Your location from the centerline determines how long totality lasts.

    Doing any internet search about the eclipse will stress the importance of proper protection of your eyes. Please don’t stare at the sun without proper shielding! Sunglasses or neutral density filters won’t do the trick; they will allow the infrared light through which can damage your retinas. Solar filters or glasses bought through a reputable company are worth the cost spent on them! If you have a welding filter, #12 or 13, sitting on a shelf, like I do, these can be used in a pinch but it is always worthwhile to do as much as you can to protect your eyesight! Make a projection box if you don’t have anything else. (Instructions can be found on-line)

    It is estimated that 31 million people will be within the narrow strip of totality, stretching from Texas to Maine. Many more will be traveling to get to this stretch of totality. That is a lot of people who will see this event. Municipalities near the bigger cities have been planning and preparing for this event for quite a while! Traffic jams after it happens are expected. If you go anywhere that is crowded, plan on this!

    Some of us have been looking forward to this and planning for it for years! Some are just learning about it in the past few weeks. Whatever you do, no matter where you are, if the weather permits it , go outside and take a look. Chances are, there will be clouds involved, especially if you’re anywhere near where I am. (I seem to have a cloud over my head during astronomical events!)

    Pay attention to your surroundings, listen to what is happening, enjoy the gasps and yelling and cheering of those around you. If possible, consider recording the sounds on your phone. It will help you relive the experience, possibly even bring back goose bumps and maybe even a tear to your eyes! Take some pictures if you’re equipped to do it but take time to enjoy the event, ignore the camera and soak in the experience! You will see lots of pictures of it later; don’t miss it while trying to get one of your own! Step back and enjoy the experience!

    As of today, the eclipse is just two weeks away…keep your fingers crossed for clear skies!

    Note: my public library was giving away free eclipse glasses, check around, they are out there if you haven’t gotten a pair yet!

    Also, star parties are starting next month! Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park will be hosting them on April 13^th and 20^th! For more details and other dates, click the link below;

Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (3ap.org)

Watching Shadows

     Watching the birds on the feeder outside the window, their colors become so much brighter as the shadows move away from them. The details of the feathers become more noticeable. The red hood on the woodpecker “pops” and the bright blues of the Blue Jay's feathers stand out against the brown of the trees. You can easily distinguish between individual birds!

    Whenever a photograph is taken, shadows and light make up what we see on the paper. (or on the screen) The composition of a good shot involves positioning the lights and darks in a pleasing way.

    The earth’s rotation as it orbits around the sun brings us into the earth’s shadow every night. Day and night depend on where the sun is in relation to us. When we see a Lunar Eclipse, we are watching as the earth’s shadow moves across the surface of the moon. When we see a Solar Eclipse, we are watching as the shadow of the moon passes across the earth’s surface.  The sun is being hidden by the moon.

    On a separate note, isn’t it amazing that the orbit of the moon and the size of the moon is just right to completely cover the sun? If the moons orbit was further away from the planet, we wouldn’t get complete coverage. For that matter, isn’t it neat that the orbits coincide with each other to properly line up to provide these events!

    Here’s another note for you…On April 8^th, 2024, we here in the Pittsburgh area will be treated to a nearly complete solar eclipse. (Approximately 95% of the sun will be covered from here) By driving north to the area around Erie, we will be able to see a complete solar eclipse! 100%!!! The shadows path cuts across more than just the Erie area, there are plenty of places you can go to see this event! If you can do it, I’d suggest making that drive! You will be inside the shadow of the moon! The surrounding area will be dark even though it will be the middle of the day! Mark your calendars! Don’t miss it!

The Chinese S.S. (Tiangong) going from west to east (R to L) at top of picture

(Click to enlarge)

Tiangong disappearing as it passes over the Pleiades

    I experienced another example of the earth’s shadow a couple nights ago. There was a pass of the Chinese Space Station (Tiangong) going over Pittsburgh. After it passed overhead, it started to fade and then disappeared from view. It had just passed into the earth’s shadow. While it was visible, about 250 miles above us, the sun was shining on it and illuminating it. Since it is so far away, no details could be seen, just a bright star like point of light traveling across the sky. When its orbit took it into the shadow, it appeared to disappear.  There one minute and gone the next!

    There are lots of satellites which orbit the earth, many which can be seen without any optical aid. Two of them, Tiangong and the ISS (The International Space Station) have crew members living on them! You can get an idea of when they will be passing over your area by checking various apps and web sites.

 I use Heavens-above.com to see what’s going over my house.

    You know that it doesn’t take a lot to excite me. I find that something to be proud of! Things like watching shadows of Jupiter’s moons crossing the planet’s surface. Seeing the peaks of mountains on the moon being illuminated by the sun while their bases wait in the shadows for the sunshine to reach them is always cool to see. Simply watching the shadows on the hillside across the valley slowly rise up the hill as the sun gets lower and lower can be exciting.

    Watching the shadows move across the snow in the back yard, I can’t help but think, it is such a neat world we live in! There are so many interesting things we see every day. So, keep your eyes open, who knows what we might see next?