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Eclipse panel: Be ready for April 8
The Girl Scouts were right all along: Be prepared.
As much as anything, this was the message from a panel discussing the upcoming total solar eclipse that will cross over the area on April 8.
Be prepared to protect your eyes.
Be prepared for crowds and delays.
Be prepared ... for wonder.
One of three speakers on the topic during the annual meeting of Purdue Extension Putnam County and the Putnam County Soil & Water Conservation District, Julie Gray spoke of the unexpected emotions that overtook her when she witnessed a similar event in Hopkinsville, Ky., in August 2017.
“When this happened, there was cheering, there was crying, there was praying, there were horns honking,” Gray said. “I remember getting extremely emotional. I didn’t know that I would, but I did and I can’t really explain it.”
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between the sun and the earth, thus blocking out the sun’s light either totally or partially. Indiana has not experienced a total solar eclipse in more than 800 years.
“I remember thinking, ‘I know what this is, but I wonder what this was like for people hundreds and thousands of years ago?’” Gray said.
Mallory Jenkins, meteorologist with WTWO in Terre Haute, elaborated further on this, noting that a number of cultures perceived eclipses as creatures “devouring the sun.” This included Hindus and Buddhists blaming a dragon; for parts of China and Tibet, a dog; for Vikings, a pair of wolves; a bear for Native Americans of northern California; a huge frog for Cherokees; in ancient Egypt, a giant serpent from the depths of the Nile; and even an ancestor who is owed money in the Middle East.
Other cultures regarded eclipses as a battle between the sun and the moon or even something to be avoided as “unclean.” Others had different reasons.
“For the people of Western Africa, they avoided viewing the eclipse, not out of fear but out of modesty,” Jenkins said. “The sun and the moon are sacred to these and many other native peoples, such as the Navajo Indians, where viewing the eclipse was taboo. They instead stay inside with family and refrain from eating and sleeping. This is a sacred time when the earth and the moon are an intimate position.”
Returning to a modern understanding of such events, Jenkins spoke a bit about what to expect, such as animals behaving oddly for 3 p.m., believing it to be twilight.
Specifically on April 8, the eclipse will pass over North America in a few short hours, arcing its way across the continent from Sinaloa, Mexico, at 11:07 a.m. and departing the Atlantic Coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m.
The fact that the eclipse will come in April isn’t necessarily great news in Central Indiana.
“Usually it is cloudy and rainy month. With some good luck, we could have clear skies that day,” Jenkins said. “Looking at climatological data, we only have about a 40 percent chance of clear skies. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
She added that forecasts will become specific as the date approaches.
“As we get closer to this event, local meteorologists will be keeping a close eye on the weather,” Jenkins said. “Being such a rare event, you may want to have alternate locations that you wouldn’t mind traveling to. Outside of the cloudy range might be a little farther northeast or southwest.”
Even with cloud cover, though, local residents can expect it to get much darker around the time of the event, shortly after 3 p.m.
The presence of clouds or sun, though, will determine what kind of influx of people the area may see. Putnam County 911/Emergency Management Director Dave Costin, part of a panel discussion with Gray and Jenkins, said authorities are preparing for the maximum number of people.
“Right now, we’re expecting the possibility of a half million people showing up in Indiana if weather allows it,” Costin said. “So we are ramping up our public safety resources to make sure they’re available to deal with the traffic congestion that we’re expecting and the type crowds.”
The visitors may not simply be Hoosiers or even Americans. Gray note the presence in Hopkinsville of “eclipse chasers” who travel all over the world to see eclipses.
“I remember very vividly engaging with some individuals from Australia and some others from Japan, so it truly was an international event,” she said.
While Costin did not put a specific number on Putnam County, Sheriff Jerrod Baugh told the Putnam County Commissioners recently the county might expect its population to temporarily double.
“We’re going to have challenges with communication with all the traffic,” Costin said. “Even cellular traffic will be congested just because of all the people. You might try to dial 911 and a cell phone is going to be a concern for us. We do encourage you if you can’t get through on 911, to text 911 because texting uses a narrower bandwidth than calling.”
He also said that travel is likely to be a problem.
“We’ve heard tales from previous eclipses that if it’s a four-hour drive for you to get home, plan for it to take 10 hours,” Costin said. “That means make sure you have plenty of fuel, bring extra medication, make sure you plan for a long, long drive and a long stay.”
For locals, Costin encourages a simpler solution.
“I’d really encourage you if you can stay home that day, stay home,” Costin said. “It’s going to be a lot of traffic.”
This falls right in line with something Gray said, which was that while there may be designated, public viewing areas, the eclipse can be seen just as well from one’s own yard.
Even from the comfort of home, though, it is still not safe to look directly at the sun, except during the less than four minutes of totality.
“Viewing any part of the bright sun through a camera lens, binoculars or telescope that does not have those special purpose lenses is dangerous and can instantly cause severe eye injury,” Jenkins explained.
On the other hand, eclipse glasses or special lenses for cameras and telescopes make for a safe viewing experience.
“If you do find glasses somewhere, you have to make sure they are ISO certified,” Jenkins said. “If they do not have that certification label on them, then they are not safe to use for viewing.”
A pair of viewing glasses was passed out to each person in attendance Thursday. She noted that similar glasses are sure to become more prevalent at local retailers as the date approaches.
Other options include a welding mask, provided that it is shade 12 or darker, but regular sunglasses are not dark enough.
“(The sun) can cause severe eye damage, and it can cause it very quickly,” Jenkins said.
Solar filters for cameras, binoculars and telescopes can be purchased online.
In one last piece of advice, though, Gray advised people not to get too caught up in taking pictures or video or even using special viewing equipment. She noted that scientists were on the scene in Hopkinsville and more than willing to let others take a look.
“My best advice to you is enjoy this,” Gray said. “Let the professionals take the pictures — they’re going to be everywhere, and they’re going to be willing to share with you. But enjoy what is happening.”
Her descriptions of the moments of totality were the most moving of the evening.
“As this event began, people began to cheer. Everyone was extremely celebratory,” Gray recalled. “What you can’t see and I never really have been able to capture or find any pictures on the internet, is there was a phenomenon that, if you’ve every seen a ring sparkle in the sunlight and you see the multifaceted dimension on the ground, that’s what it was. It was like the ground was alive with these sparkling things. I don’t know how to describe it or what it was called, but apparently it doesn’t show up too well in photography.”
After this came the “ring of fire” at totality.
“The sky went dark momentarily and then this burst out,” Gray said. “I don’t know how to describe it, but it was utterly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. We had two minutes and 40 seconds of this. Where we’re at today, we’re going to have anywhere from three and a half to four minutes of this. It’s going to be unbelievable.”