'Absolutely spectacular': Total solar eclipse brings delight to Ohio astronomers
For 3 minutes Monday, darkness fell over Ohio as the moon obscured an otherwise sunny afternoon.
The total solar eclipse crossed the Buckeye State as scientists had long predicted by calculating a celestial path set in motion millennia ago.
The once-in-a-lifetime event for the region's residents had been in jeopardy all week of being blocked by lingering clouds that finally broke Monday morning, bringing delight to 100 onlookers at the Lowe-Volk Nature Center in rural Crawford County between Galion and Crestline.
Visitors gathered from near and far to look at the sun through solar glasses and a half dozen state-of-the-art telescopes equipped with filters.
More: Total solar eclipse viewers at historic Ohio State Reformatory cheer when darkness falls
More: Downtown Mansfield proves to be ideal spot to view total solar eclipse
'They’ve come from everywhere'
Most of the high-tech scopes used during the eclipse cost nearly $5,000 each, according to Dan Everly, longtime member of the Crawford Park Astronomy Club.
He and his fellow astronomers had been waiting for years to see Monday's eclipse. They were excited so many people joined them in making those memories.
“We’ve had someone from Colorado today, and California and Washington state,” Everly said. “They’ve come from everywhere.”
One of the guests was Saber Ferguson, who eagerly looked through a Lunt solar telescope as the moon approached the edge of the sun a little before 2 p.m.
It was the first time the 13-year-old from San Francisco had ever been in Crawford County — his family had driven to the area in search of a clear place to watch the eclipse.
"It was a guess, really," Ferguson said. "It looks like we hit the jackpot."
'We wanted the collective experience'
Others, like Laurie and Tom Coyle from Kent, traveled across Ohio to see the eclipse. They would have been in totality had they stayed home, but they wanted to drive toward the eclipse's centerline to buy a few more seconds of darkness.
"We picked up like 45 seconds or something coming over here," Tom Coyle said.
It was his third eclipse, and Laurie Coyle's second.
Their interest in solar eclipses grew because of North America's 2017 eclipse, which was only visible as a partial eclipse in Ohio.
"I went with a couple buddies from work," Tom said. "We drove to Tennessee to see it."
He decided then to never miss an eclipse, so, for the October 2023 annular eclipse, he and his wife traveled to New Mexico.
"That was my first," Laurie Coyle said. "It was amazing, stunning."
They weren't sure Monday morning where exactly they were going.
"We woke up to rain," Laurie said.
They drove west. The clouds broke.
"It was a little nerve-wracking," Laurie Coyle said. "I've been anxious for weeks."
They went through Mansfield and decided to look for a place to stop. They were afraid the parks might be too full.
"We decided, if nothing else, we'd find a roadside church," Tom Coyle said.
They found Lowe-Volk Nature Center and pulled in. The skies were clear and parking spaces were ample.
"We were excited to be here and find this lovely spot," Laurie Coyle said. "We wanted the collective experience."
'It's amazing up there!'
Solar scopes owned by the Crawford Park Astronomy Club had been pointed toward the sun all weekend in preparation for Monday's eclipse.
Everly and fellow astronomer Bryan Summer saw a solar flare Sunday afternoon that they estimate was about a million miles long and gone after only a few seconds.
By Monday, they were tracking two sun spots that looked tiny on our star's surface, but were each more than 20 times the size of Earth.
There was also a new solar prominence, which is a bright feature anchored to the sun that temporarily extends hundreds of thousands of miles from its surface.
A sliver of the moon crept in front of the sun at 2 p.m. A half-hour later, the sun was barely a third covered.
"Oh my gosh, it's amazing up there!" Summer shouted as he looked through a solar scope.
The day's color remained a vibrant white, even as overall brightness dimmed from the moon's obstruction.
'It's absolutely spectacular!'
At 3:06 p.m., cellphone alarms went off, 5-minute reminders before totality.
"Do you guys see the birds coming in to roost?" Everly shouted. "They're all in that tree!"
By 3:10 p.m., even though the sun was still too blinding to view directly without the protection of solar glasses, the park had become dark enough for its security lights to activate.
A minute later, darkness engulfed Crawford County.
"Look at this!" Summer shouted as 100 people clapped and cheered.
The park's temperature fell from 70 to below 60 in seconds.
The immediate area was dark, but an orange glow was visible in the distance in each direction like a faraway sunset 360 degrees along the horizon.
"Isn't this the eeriest thing you've ever seen?" Summer's voice asked in the night. "It's absolutely spectacular!"
The scientist pointed out the sun's corona shining out from around the moon, then suddenly noticed an unexpected area that was brighter than expected.
"It's at seven o'clock!" he shouted to Everly.
"That's the solar prominence!" his friend responded.
It was an unexpected highlight that made the rare event more special than the astronomers could have imagined.
'I see why people get addicted to this'
Before anyone was ready, a speck of sun pierced through the bottom of the moon.
"That was the fastest three minutes of my life!" one boy shouted in the dimness.
The crowd cheered once again. Fireworks erupted across the countryside.
The midday sunrise quickly turned night to day.
"Look how light it's getting already!" Nicole Tuggle shouted as he put her solar glasses back on for post-totality views.
Totality had ended before anyone was ready for it to be done.
"I was overwhelmed by that sensation," Summer said. "Now I see why people get addicted to this."
ztuggle@gannett.com
419-564-3508
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Total solar eclipse gave memorable show to astronomers Monday in Ohio
