NEW YORK – Millions of Americans converged on a narrow corridor stretching from Oregon to South Carolina to watch the moon blot out the midday sun on August 21 for a wondrous couple of minutes in the first total solar eclipse to sweep coast to coast in 99 years.
Veteran eclipse chasers warned the uninitiated to get ready to be blown away.
Among those veteran eclipse chasers is Greek-American Mike Kentrianakis of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Solar Eclipse Project Manager. Kentrianakis was profiled recently in the New York Times along with other experts about the extraordinary and historic astronomical event.
“This is the most awesome astronomical event there is, period. You’ll never ever forget it,” Kentrianakis said as reported in the Times. He has spent years pursuing totality, the moment when the moon aligns exactly with the sun and darkness descends, traveling around the world from the jungle in Mikongo, Gabon, to the top of a mountain in Tianhuangping, China, and to the frozen wilderness of Svalbard, Norway.
Kentrianakis’ excitement over the “Great American Eclipse” led him to travel, beginning in 2015, the coming eclipse’s entire path, a total of 3,000 miles, as part of his AAS work, the Times reported.
The trip was not only to inspire interest in the eclipse among the people in the path of totality, but also to warn them of the coming crowds of eclipse chasers, he has seen over and over wherever a total solar eclipse occurs. Kentiranakis noted, “This is two years out. They didn’t know what was coming. We knew. No one can predict the future, except for an eclipse chaser.”
Planetariums and museums have already posted “Sold out of eclipse glasses” on their front doors. Signs along highways reminded motorists of “Solar EclipseMonday,” while cars bore the message “Eclipse or bust,” as the Associated Press reported.
With 200 million people within a day’s drive of the path of totality, towns and parks braced for monumental crowds. This is expected to be the most observed, most studied and most photographed eclipse ever. Not to mention the most festive, what with all the parties.
In Salem, Oregon, a field outside the state fairgrounds was transformed into a campground in advance of an eclipse-watching party for 8,500.
“It’s one of those ‘check the box’ kind of things in life,” said Hilary O’Hollaren, who drove 30 miles from Portland with her two teenagers and a tent, plus a couple friends.
Astronomers consider a full solar eclipse the grandest of cosmic spectacles.
The Earth, moon and sun line up perfectly every one to three years, briefly turning day into night for a sliver of the planet. But these sights normally are in no man’s land, like the vast Pacific or the poles. This will be the first eclipse of the social media era to pass through such a heavily populated area.
The last coast-to-coast total eclipse in the U.S. was in 1918.
In fact, the U.S. mainland hasn’t seen a total solar eclipse since 1979 — and even then, only five states in the Northwest experienced total darkness before the eclipse veered in Canada. The 1979 eclipse was the one that began Kentrianakis’ obsession.
Kentrianakis shared his first total solar eclipse experience with the Times. In 1978, at age 14 on Long Island, he read an article in a local newspaper about an exhibition to Manitoba, Canada, to observe the eclipse on February 26, 1979. The article noted that there was one seat available to join the research team. Kentrianakis’ parents gave him permission to call the team and they invited him along for the trip to snowy Lundar, Manitoba. Researcher Fred Hess’ excitement at the time was unforgettable for Kentrianakis during the eclipse.
“He’s reading it out and he’s losing control. He goes, ‘Look! Look! Look! Look!’,” Kentrianakis noted about Hess’ countdown to totality, as the Times reported. The overwhelming sight took just 2 minutes and 47 seconds, but made an indelible impression on the young Kentrianakis.
“I’m looking at this corona in the sky and thinking, ‘Wow, this is really strange and beautiful,’” he said as reported in the Times.
Monday’s total eclipse will cast a shadow that will race through 14 states, entering near Lincoln City, Oregon, at 1:16 p.m. EDT, moving diagonally across the heartland and then exiting near Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:47 p.m. EDT. The path will cut 2,600 miles (4,200 kilometers) across the land and will be just 60 to 70 miles (96 kilometers to 113 kilometers) wide.
Mostly clear skies beckoned along much of the route, according to the National Weather Service.
Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois will see the longest stretch of darkness: 2 minutes and 44 seconds.
All of North America will get at least a partial eclipse. Central America and the top of South America will also see the moon cover part of the sun.
Kentrianakis is among the many scientists who will be watching and analyzing the eclipse, some from telescopes on the ground and in orbit, the International Space Station, airplanes and scores of high-altitude balloons, which will beam back live video. Citizen scientists will monitor animal and plant behavior as daylight turns into twilight and the temperature drops.
The only time it is safe to look directly at the eclipse without protective eyewear is during totality, when the sun is 100 percent covered. Otherwise, keep protective eyewear on or use pinhole projectors that can cast an image of the eclipse.
The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will be in 2024. The next coast-to-coast one will be in 2045. A special episode of PBS’ Nova, Eclipse Over America, will air on August 21 at 9 PM.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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