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Remember when, as a child, your friends wrapped you in aluminum foil before heading outside so you could communicate with space aliens?
No, I don't remember doing that, either, although I'm pretty sure I saw it once on the "Little Rascals" television series.
I'm reminded of that, however, as I prepare for the historic April 8 total solar eclipse. In Alpena, 90% of the sun will be covered by the eclipse. While that will be noteworthy, it will fall 190 miles from the closest area to it in the total eclipse zone.
In Findlay, Ohio, where I now call home, we fall within the totality zone for the eclipse. The excitement keeps growing toward that event here, as schools have canceled for the day, businesses are adjusting their hours of operation, city workers have been given the day off, and hospitality industry leaders are bracing for a tsunami of out-of-town visitors.
"Why all this buzz?" you ask.
I'm glad you did, so let me explain, with help from the official state website on solar eclipse information for Ohio.
While total solar eclipses of the sun occur, on average, every year-and-a-half around the globe, only 21 total solar eclipses have crossed the lower 48 states since 1776. The last one that could be viewed in the Midwest was in 1806, and I can say in all certainty none of us were here to witness that one.
The next anticipated one won't occur until 2099.
For those still trying to understand that all, "a total solar eclipse occurs when the moon appears to totally obscure the sun." Scientists can't normally see the corona, or sun's outer atmosphere, because the sun's surface below it is so much brighter. However, during a solar eclipse, the corona becomes visible.
In Findlay, a partial eclipse is anticipated to begin around 1:55 p.m. and reach its maximum peak of darkness at 3:10 p.m. Total darkness will encompass the region for three minutes and 44 seconds. For those of you in Alpena and Northeast Ohio, the partial eclipse will begin around 2:01 p.m.
The maximum totality will last four minutes and 28 seconds in Torreon, Mexico.
If by now I haven't peaked your interest, then let me share some Twilight Zone information with you.
Because the actual eclipse will be quite extended from its start to its finish, state officials are concerned about traffic disruptions as people pull off the roads to view it. Cell phone service is expected to be disrupted, which means that, for those without landlines, well, good luck.
The Ohio Emergency Management Agency cautions people to be on the lookout for:
∫ heavy to gridlocked traffic conditions before and after the eclipse,
∫ travelers stopped on roadways (heat, water, food, bathroom challenges),
∫ limited cell phone service because of heightened network use, and
∫ potentially limited food and gasoline availability on the routes because of an influx of travelers.
Finally, let's talk some turkey, or more like dollars and cents.
For geographical areas in the line of totality with the eclipse, the tourism industry is expecting some huge numbers of guests. It is estimated the county could see one-and-a-half times its population in out-of-town visitors for the event. Hancock County's population, where Findlay is located, at the 2020 census was 74,920, which would put the number of potential visitors here at 112,380.
I was recently in Bloomington, Indiana, where the total time of darkness from the eclipse is 18 seconds longer than Findlay's. There, chamber of commerce and visitors bureau officials are bracing for more than 300,000 visitors.
Make no mistake. This is a huge event, so pray for a nice clear day.
Join me and grab your special eclipse safety viewing glasses and head to high ground to view the event.
Oh, and leave your aluminum foil back in the kitchen.
Bill Speer retired in 2021 as the publisher and editor of The News. He can be reached at bspeer@thealpenanews.com.