Avon Lake Solar Eclipse

On Monday, April 8, 2024, the shadow of the moon will pass across the US making a line from central Mexico to New England, passing right over Avon Lake, bringing us a total solar eclipse.

totality path

Avon Lake is in the center line of the path of totality, meaning it will last longer than other cities in our area. Because there is so much to see and feel during totality, it is worthwhile for enthusiasts to travel to cities that will experience a few more minutes. If you are outside the path of totality, you will not get the experience of a total eclipse. A partial eclipse is not the same experience at all. People all over the world are making plans to travel to cities in the path of totality now because no one who has experienced a total eclipse regrets the effort.

What is a Total Eclipse?

A total eclipse is one of the rarest and most spectacular events in nature. During the partial phases just before and after totality, the landscape around you is transformed by eerie dim light and strangely sharp shadows. During totality, the sky becomes as dark as deep twilight, bright stars and planets appear, and the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona, shines around the black disk of the moon’s silhouette. Only people in the direct path of the eclipse will also be able to see the corona, which is also usually obscured by the light of our home star. Changes in temperature, winds, and animal behavior occur during the time around totality. The experience is emotionally powerful and unforgettable.

 

The moon will begin to cover the sun at 1:58 p.m. Using a safe solar viewing method, we will see more and more of the sun covered by the moon over the next 115 minutes. This time is called a partial phase because the sun is partially covered by the moon. Totality begins at approximately 3:13 p.m. and lasts about 3 minutes 53 seconds for viewers on the center line. The farther you are from the center line, the shorter totality will last. After totality, the moon gradually uncovers the sun in a second partial phase. The eclipse ends for Avon Lake viewers at about 4:28 p.m.

The last total solar eclipse in the U.S. occurred August 21, 2017, and it was seen by millions as it crossed the country from Oregon to South Carolina. Prior to that, the last total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. was in 1979. The next cross-country, total solar eclipse won’t happen again until 2045! 

Lorain County is already bracing for about 700,000 solar eclipse tourists in 2024 because, in Ohio, Avon Lake is the point of greatest duration for the total solar eclipse. The Avon Lake City, Schools, and Public Library are already meeting to plan events to celebrate this historic event. In addition we are also planning the logistics involved with such a large influx of people in our small city.

Watch this page for updates!

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Avon Lake Timetable