Just as expected, an astronomical showcase swept across a small tract of land on the Lake Erie’s rim, leaving everyone present, even dogs, mesmerised and gleefully wide-eyed behind their quirky glasses. Wisely, the DJ stationed at the amphitheatre halted the music to honour this momentous occurrence. Shortly after 3 pm, a noticeable drop in temperature marked the rapid obscuring of the sun. Then, the inevitable happened. Our surroundings plunged into an eerie darkness and cold. The moon, encircled by a flawless sphere, dominated the darkened skies. There was nothing left to do but remain silent and feast our eyes upon the spectacle.
“Alien, that’s the word,” commented Leah Delano, a visitor from Washington D.C, after the event concluded.
“One felt part of a cosmos that was unknown till now,” echoed her companion, Nancy Chapman, with a beaming smile. The two friends had tried to describe something that is beyond words. Around them, spectators endeavoured to make sense of the extraordinary celestial event they had just witnessed.
Leah elaborated, “To me, it felt as if we were standing under a normal sunny day, under a clear blue sky scattered with clouds. Then, within minutes, it turns into a dark night filled with stars. You then realise that there’s a reality that we are not accustomed to seeing. And then, things revert to normal. But the most profound moment for me, even more than the solar corona, were those few minutes of total darkness. Your mind would be racing, if you were uncertain that the light was going to return…you would be thinking…good heavens…we are in quite a predicament.”
The Great American Eclipse was a one-of-a-kind event. It was simultaneously eerie, geeky and slightly spooky. Naturally, it was leveraged as a tourist attraction, leading to an unusual hike in the visitor figures for Erie in early April. However, everyone present recognised the significance and rarity of the day they were a part of.
Despite the initial grim weather conditions by Lake Erie, including thick cloud cover and relentless downpour, it didn’t deter the crowd’s anticipation. A group of avid astronomy enthusiasts stationed themselves along the shoreline, their serious-looking telescopes perched and ready in hand.
Among the crowd was Vincent Filigenzi, who had made the journey from Long Island, New York. His previous experience with an eclipse dates back to March 7th, 1970, whilst studying astronomy at Adelphi University. Recounting a school trip to Virginia Beach for a total eclipse, he remembered National Geographic’s presence and the stunning clear day by the shoreline.
In spite of the dense cloud cover over Erie, his optimism was palpable. There’s a unique joy in being part of the ‘total solar path’ — a rare event that brings together people from across the globe.
The eclipse has been widely touted as a phenomenal astronomical event with the capacity to unify people. A staggering figure of thirty-two million Americans found themselves in the path of totality, experiencing the same awe-inspiring event. It was this universal sense of wonder that elevated a small park into a larger narrative.
Nancy Chapman reflected on the event, articulating the profound joy and human connection it inspired. The collective reaction of screaming, cheering, and shared astonishment encapsulated the true essence of the shared human experience.
The eclipse was every bit as astonishing as NASA’s experts had forecasted — a moment of collective amazement put on hold for another 20 years.