Grab your family, friends, coworkers and plan your trip to Erie, PA for a once in a lifetime event: A Total Solar Eclipse! This rare event won’t occur in the United States again until 2044. Totality will not occur in the Erie, PA again until 2144!
WHAT IS A TOTAL ECLIPSE?
A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth causing a complete blocking of the Sun (NASA). During the few minutes of totality, the sky will become dark (similar to dawn or dusk). When the Moon covers the Sun, you will be able to see the Sun’s outer atmosphere called the Corona. According to VisitErie, the difference between a total and partial eclipse is if even one percent of the sun is visible during an eclipse, the sun is 10,000 times too bright to observe the most spectacular part – totality!
WHERE/WHEN IS THE BEST PLACE TO WATCH THE ECLIPSE?
The path of totality crosses over North America from Mexico, to the US, to Canada. Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are the states in its path. Erie, PA is lucky enough to be one of those places. The partial eclipse will happen from 2:02 – 4:30PM and the totality will be from 3:16 – 3:20PM. If you want to avoid heavy traffic areas and light pollution, we recommend finding a place away from a city such as Port Farms. There will be nothing obstructing your view and you will be away from the city and heavy traffic areas.
TOTAL ECLIPSE ON THE FARM – ERIE, PA
Port Farms has a fun day planned on the farm on April 8th! With family friendly activities, craft beer and specialty drinks from our on-site brewery, live music, food trucks and more… this is one event you won’t want to miss. The farm will have the following attractions open and included with admission: goats, ropes course, jumping pillows, slides, ball zone, game garden, barnyard fort and tire fort. We will have live bands, a DJ, campfires, eclipse merch and more. The first 1000 guests will also receive complimentary ISO certified glasses. For out-of-town guests, we are offering weekend entertainment and overnight spots. Learn more & get tickets.
SAFELY VIEWING THE ECLIPSE
One of the most asked questions about the total eclipse is regarding safety glasses and if they are necessary. According to NASA, it is not safe to look at the partial eclipse with the naked eye. In fact, doing so can cause severe eye injury. You should not look directly at the sun without ISO Certified Eclipse viewing glasses unless the eclipse is at its’ totality. The American Astronomical Society suggests to only use viewers from a safe supplier meeting the ISO requirements. With large events like this, a lot of counterfeit eclipse glasses may be sold. Safe viewing glasses not only reduce the sun’s brightness level like sunglasses, but also blocks harmful UV and IR radiation (which regular sunglasses will not do). Viewing the eclipse through cameras, regular sunglasses, binoculars or telescopes without a special solar lens, can cause eye damage.
During the 3 minutes and 19 seconds of totality, you can look directly at the sun without any type of eye protection. During the partial eclipse, you will need to wear special eyewear if looking directly at the sun. If you are not looking at the sun, you do not need eye protection.
WHAT TO BRING?
Since this is a once in a lifetime event, many people may be wondering “how can I prepare” or “what should I bring”? At our event at Port Farms, we recommend bringing camp chairs or beach chairs to be able to sit back and enjoy the eclipse. Binoculars are also something to consider. Just keep in mind to have your ISO glasses on before looking through the binoculars. If you’d like to record the total eclipse, be sure bring a tripod to set up your camera or phone.
WHAT IF IT’S CLOUDY?
The eclipse will still happen! Although you may not be able to see the moon directly moving in front of the sun, it will still get dark. Plus, if you’re enjoying the day at an event like Eclipse On The Farm, you will have plenty of things to keep you and your family entertained all day!
Want to learn more? Visit the National Eclipse website.