If you are a resident of the Beaver Valley and want to witness the upcoming Total Solar Eclipse in its full grandeur on April 8, it is time to start planning a car trip northward. Heading north to the Line of Totality is the best way to see the eclipse in its entirety, according to Frank Marzano of the Beaver County Amateur Astronomers. The Line of Totality includes places like Erie, Edinboro, Pymatuning, Meadville, and Northeast Ohio. The Total Solar Eclipse will result in the complete darkening of the sky and the view of the sun’s atmosphere (the Corona). If you are located south of the Line of Totality, you will only witness a partial eclipse. Even though residents of the Beaver Valley will have an interesting partial view of the eclipse, those within the Line of Totality will have the opportunity to witness the complete solar phenomenon. The skies above the Beaver Valley are predicted to experience 98 percent obscuration, lasting almost two-and-a-half hours starting at 2 p.m. on April 8.
According to Amanda Iwaniec, safety is a top priority when viewing a total solar eclipse, and viewers need to wear specialized eye protection designed for solar viewing. This eclipse event has heightened interest due to the large population within the Line of Totality. Beaver County library system will distribute special solar eclipse eyewear beginning on March 4. The glasses will be available while supplies last and can be reserved at a Beaver County Library System location.
To create excitement for the eclipse, Beaver County libraries will co-host several events with The Kamin Science Center’s Portable Planetarium, Pittsburgh’s Moonshot Museum’s interactive presentations, and Beaver County Amateur Astronomers. Courtney Colaizzi, the system’s program and social media manager, mentioned that the library system retrieved 2,000 pairs of solar eclipse glasses through a generous grant and are working on creating a solar filter for their Stargazers Kit that includes a beginner’s telescope, three lenses, a smartphone adapter with a wireless remote, instructional guides, and a map of the stars.
The Beaver County Library System’s eclipse events schedule includes a Mission to The Moon event at Laughlin Memorial Library in Ambridge, Galactic Trivia at the Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls, space-themed trivia at the Monaca Public Library, and a Portable Planetarium & Solar Soiree at the B.F. Jones Memorial Library in Aliquippa.
Various organizations and venues in the surrounding areas such as Penn State Behrend in Erie, the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, and Franklin in Venango County are also planning events during the eclipse. The next solar eclipse in the U.S. will not take place for another 20 years, heightening the excitement for the upcoming eclipse on April 8.
With the upcoming eclipse attracting significant interest, Emily Borcz, program assistant for the state Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, anticipates a high number of visitors at Raccoon Creek State Park on the day of the eclipse. Despite the partial viewership area, residents of the Beaver Valley can still observe the eclipse from their backyards but will not experience the complete phenomenon as those located within the Line of Totality.
Scott Tady is entertainment editor at the Beaver County Times and can be reached at stady@gannett.com.
