Astronomer Dean Regas: 4 things to know about 'eerie' and 'awesome' total solar eclipse

Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·3 min read

Dean Regas has traveled the world chasing total solar eclipses since 2006.

So, the locally-based and nationally-known astronomer has a few words of advice when it comes to the April 8 total solar eclipse. It can be seen in totality from just a short drive away from Cincinnati.

Regas sat down with The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast to talk about his work and why taking the day off to see the eclipse is a good idea.

The eclipse is being called once-in-a-lifetime for Ohioans. Many parts of the state will be in total darkness for a few minutes mid-afternoon. The sun will be at least 95% blocked by the moon for the rest of the state. The last time a total solar eclipse appeared in Ohio was 1806. The next total solar eclipse in Ohio will be in 2099, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Astronomer Dean Regas has spent 25 years looks at the stars and traveled the world chasing total solar eclipses. He's already getting ready for the April 8 total solar eclipse that will plunge much of Ohio into darkness.
Astronomer Dean Regas has spent 25 years looks at the stars and traveled the world chasing total solar eclipses. He's already getting ready for the April 8 total solar eclipse that will plunge much of Ohio into darkness.

What's it like to see a total solar eclipse?

"Anything I say to describe it is still underselling it because it is the most incredible sight you can see," Regas said. "You're out there on a sunny day and all of a sudden a shadow sweeps across you. You are plunged into this eerie twilight where the sky looks a purply, silver color. The stars will pop out in the middle of the daytime. The temperature drops 20 degrees. You look out and where the sun was it is gone. It is scary. It is eerie. It is awesome. It will make you laugh, cry, scream, all that and more. And I'm still not hyping it up enough because it's better than that."

Bye-bye city: Why 99% view isn't the same as 'total'

"You do have to get out of the city because the city is going to be at 99% eclipse, which sounds great but is not enough. You've got to get 100%. And so, the closest area to us is going to be Harrison out by I-74. Or you go up north towards Hamilton and Middletown, but the farther north and the farther west you go a little bit better. There are lots of choices to get in totality but get out of the city."

Go ahead, take the day off

“Just drive that half hour that day and get out of work. Pull the kids out of school. We haven't had an eclipse in Ohio in hundreds of years and we won't have one in Ohio until 2099 or something like that. A lot of schools have canceled, which I think is really great.”

Expect it to be difficult to travel around the time of the eclipse because so many people will descend on Ohio to see it, Regas said.

Watch the weather

There's no way around it: "Clouds will ruin the whole thing," Regas said.

"So, if you have a cloudy day, it's over. You're not going to see it ... So watching the weather is the big deal. That's the million-dollar question to me: 'Where am I going?' And I have no idea. It's all weather-dependent because if it's cloudy here, I'm going to go somewhere else. About a week out, five days out, watch the weather and look for the trends. My plan is to about two or three days out decide which direction I'm going to go: north, south or west."

Miss last week's episode? No problem. Listen here. Follow Cincinnati.com editor Beryl Love on X @beryllove and City Hall reporter Sharon Coolidge @SharonCoolidge.

To learn more about the total solar eclipse, follow Dean Regas on Instagram at DeanRegas and on Facebook at Dean Regas.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 4 things to know about April 8 total solar eclipse in Ohio, Indiana