Total solar eclipse is today

Keith Gushard, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·3 min read

Apr. 8—Today is the day. The region will experience the celestial phenomenon known as a total eclipse of the sun for a brief period this afternoon.

Potentially, hundreds of thousands of people have descended on Crawford County and other parts of northwestern Pennsylvania for this afternoon's total solar eclipse.

Almost 435,000 Pennsylvanians live in the path of totality, which includes Crawford and Erie counties and parts of Mercer and Warren counties.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has been predicting as many as 200,000 tourists are expected within the Erie area alone.

A total solar eclipse happens as the moon completely blocks the sun while passing between the sun and the Earth. Totality is the maximum phase of a total eclipse.

As the moon's disk completely covers the sun, the moon's shadow moves across the Earth as the moon passes between the sun and the Earth.

The track of the moon's shadow across the Earth's surface is the path of totality. This eclipse's path of totality is about 112 miles wide.

According to NASA, the period of totality may last from a fraction of a second to a maximum of 7 minutes, 32 seconds.

For Meadville, totality will last 2 minutes, 35 seconds.

For Meadville, the partial eclipse begins at 2:02 p.m. today with totality reached at 3:16, according to NASA's eclipse website. Totality for Meadville will last until 3:19 with the partial eclipse ending at 4:30 p.m.

And while there might be crowds to contend with in the region, eclipse watchers will also have the weather on their minds. The forecast is calling for a mostly cloudy day with highs in the 60s. There's also a 40 percent chance of showers, according to the National Weather Service. Between 2 and 4 p.m. there's a 47 percent chance of rain, according to AccuWeather.

What to do

There are several free events planned in Crawford County associated with today's eclipse.

—Allegheny College Eclipse Fest, Robertson Athletic Complex Football Stadium, Park Avenue, noon to 4 p.m. First 500 attendees receive free eclipse glasses. Attendees may use the visitors bleachers or take a chair or blanket on the field to view the eclipse. There will be astronomy-themed music, concessions and a merchandise trailer. Allegheny College Astronomy Club and astrophysicist Professor Jamie Lombardi will answer questions and explain the phenomenon.

—Eclipse Block Party in downtown Meadville, 1 to 4 p.m. with free parking from noon to 5. Multiple activities scheduled with Chestnut Street closed from Diamond Park to Water Street; the 200 block of Arch Street at Voodoo Brewing also will be closed.

—The French Creek Valley Railroad Historical Society will open the grounds of Meadville Railroad Depot Museum, 136 Mead Avenue, from 1 to 4 p.m. today for viewing the total solar eclipse. There is a wide area of unobstructed viewing at the depot's grounds. Visitors should use the south entrance. The society will have a limited supply of solar eclipse sunglasses.

Watch it online

NASA hosts a livestream presentation of the eclipse, with commentary from NASA experts as it travels from Mexico across the United States to Maine. Visit NASA's YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MJY_ptQW1o

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.