Before the Big Day
Paul arrived from California a few days ahead of time, and my sister Jane and her husband Roy arrived from Colorado on April 7. They had all come to Ohio to view the total solar eclipse which would happen on the afternoon of April 8.
On the night of the 7th, we went into downtown Kent to join the crowd watching a laser light show, part of the city's eclipse celebration.
On the Big Day
The five of us went over to Cindy and Dave's house where we were joined by Cindy's son and daughter, Jack and Jennifer, and by Jennifer's daughter Lilly and her husband Chris.
At approximately 2pm, the moon began to move across the sun - the "first bite." For the next 75 minutes we needed our dark glasses, watching as the moon covered more and more of the sun while the sky grew darker.
Then at 3:14pm, the last sliver of sunlight disappeared and we took off our dark glasses to view the sun's corona. Totality lasted for about three minutes, during which we could see surface features called solar prominences, e.g., the red "dot" in this photo (link to a Scientific American article will open in a separate browser window or tab).
As the moon began to move away from the sun, a brilliant flash of light - the Diamond Ring - told us that we needed to put our dark glasses back on. The Diamond Ring is visible in the photo at the top of this page.
Photographing an eclipse is a technical challenge. These eclipse photos were taken by Paul.
To celebrate the day, Jack had grilled sausages and Cindy had prepared a bountiful spread to have with them. We ate and drank our fill, enjoying corn hole competition and conversations.
Afterward
Our out-of-state guests got to see our new home in Kent and then, after the eclipse, they went their separate ways. Mike and Paul, long-time hiking partners, took off on April 9 to hike in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. Jane and Roy stayed for a few more days and we explored Cuyahoga Valley National Park. They also got a personal tour of Kent, courtesy of Cindy.
The photo on the left was taken at the Ledges in Cuyahoga Valley Park. On the right, Mike and Paul have reached the summit of Chimney Top in Monongahela Forest.
