Cloquet teen sets goal to see every total solar eclipse

Apr. 2—CLOQUET — On Monday, April 8, the moon's shadow will extend across North America from Mazatlan, Mexico, to Newfoundland, Canada.

In the little town of Broken Bow, Oklahoma, the total solar eclipse will achieve peak totality — when the moon completely blocks the sun and reveals the star's outer atmosphere, the corona — at 1:45 p.m. This will mark the second of eight total solar eclipses that Cloquet teen Kenadie Mickle plans to witness in her lifetime.

Days before departing for Broken Bow, Mickle, 14, looks over a list of every total solar eclipse that will be visible in the contiguous United States during her lifetime. The list concludes Sept. 14, 2099, when the moon's shadow will cover Cambridge, Minnesota. Mickle will be 89 years old.

"It's weird that I'll still be alive by then," Mickle said.

The timeline, titled "Kenadie's 'See 'em' all' 21st Century Total Eclipse Schedule," assembled by her father, David Mickle, will serve as a roadmap for Kenadie in her pursuit to view every total solar eclipse in the lower 48 states. It lists the date of every total solar eclipse, how old Kenadie will be and where to view it.

Though it is far from Kenadie's last,

Monday's solar eclipse

is certain to be one of the most memorable.

For 4 minutes, 16 seconds, Broken Bow will be shadowed in complete darkness as the moon eclipses the sun. This will nearly double the totality of

Kenadie's first solar eclipse

in 2017 in Marshall, Missouri, which lasted 2 minutes, 41 seconds.

"The duration of the totality is going to be what's the best part," David said, "because it's going to be longer than someone can hold their breath before they die."

Not only will the sun be totally eclipsed, but the "devil comet," which derives its nickname from its hornlike appearance, will be making its 71-year-passage across the sky at roughly the same time as the eclipse and could be made visible to the naked eye in the daytime twilight brought on by the eclipse, according to Astronomy Magazine.

Moreover, the sun will be near its solar maximum, giving its magnetic field the appearance of a "tangled hairball," NASA reported. Streamers — cap-like structures with long pointed peaks — and prominences — bright features extending from the sun's surface — will likely be visible throughout the corona.

"It is a heck of a sight to see, is what it is," David said.

Kenadie credits her ambitious goal to her father, who was inspired by his father, "a self-professed astronomy enthusiast," David said.

Kenadie and David will travel to Broken Bow with Kenadie's mother and David's wife, Denise Mickle, and family friends Scott and Beth Emilson and their children, Hendrix Wilkinson, 14, Aili Wilkinson, 13, and Charlie Mayo, 7.

The two families will depart Thursday, April 4, and are expected to arrive in Oklahoma on Saturday, April 6, leaving themselves extra time if the weather appears like it could inhibit viewing the eclipse and they need to reroute.

This will be the Emilson family's first time viewing a total solar eclipse.

"Expectations for me are zero because I've never seen one," Scott said.

Though Kenadie plans to see as many solar eclipses as possible, the astronomical rarity of the event isn't lost on Hendrix.

"I'm just having a good time and also seeing something that really anyone won't ever see again in their lifetime," he said.

This will be the last total solar eclipse Kenadie will see until she is 34 years old and the moon's shadow will pass over Medora, North Dakota, on Aug. 23, 2044.

However, the eclipse Kenadie anticipates the most will be when she is 35 years old, on Aug. 12, 2045, when a total eclipse will engulf Port St. Lucie, Florida.