Morrow Soil and Water along with Headwaters Outdoor Education Center would like to thank Dan Everly with the Warren Rupp Observatory for taking time to lead us in discussions regarding “What to Expect” for the Solar Eclipse. Dan shared with us his 60+ years of knowledge and experience regarding our solar system and astronomy. Dan described in detail “What to Expect” on April 8th, 2024, right here in Morrow County.
“For approximately 3 minutes, Morrow County will be in the totality zone of the full solar eclipse which will stretch 124 miles wide entering Ohio from Northern Cincinnati through Upper Sandusky and continuing through the Northeast corner of Ohio. Something that hasn’t happened in over 200 years and won’t happen again until the year 2099 in our region.“
Dan continued to describe what we will experience during this time,
“Right before this occurs, everything will slowly grow darker, the animals and birds will become silent as they prepare for evening, the temperature will drop, and the winds may change. As you look around the horizon, you may see, what appears to be the sunset or sunrise during this time.”
He suggested that if you are outside watching it, to do a little experiment with clothing. “If you wear bright colors, such as orange or red, they will be less visible because they resemble the gray surrounding, if you are wearing green, your clothes will stand out, and if you are wearing black, gray, or white, they will blend in with the colors of the eclipse.”
If you would like to take pictures, Dan’s recommendation would be to just enjoy the moment and leave the picture taking up to the professionals as even with apps to update your shutter speed will not be enough to get that “perfect solar picture”.
The last thing that Dan stressed was the importance of wearing Solar Eclipse glasses if wanting to view the eclipse. He cautioned to be very careful taking children out to watch the eclipse as they may naturally want to “peer” out of their glasses to look at the sun. This is very dangerous as the brightness of the sun is only safe using filters such as eclipse glasses. Using a welding shield isn’t even strong enough to prevent damage to the eye from the sun during this time.
The Warren Rupp Observatory is open to the public at no cost on the first Saturday of the month at dusk. Dan welcomes anyone to come out and watch the night sky with the Richland Astronomy Society and discover “THE STARS OF THE SKY.”