Photo by Scott Szarapka on Unsplash

My mother-in-law has an amateur interest in astronomy. She is quick to point out the current phase of the moon to my sons. She can usually tell you which planets you’ll likely see at sundown. In 2017, she travelled to South Carolina to view the eclipse that tracked west-to-east across the United States. And so, she was excited to learn that the 2024 eclipse would pass directly over her house near the shores of Lake Erie.

Our plans to view the total solar eclipse were made months in advance. Our family, along with my mother-in-law’s sister and a couple of long-time friends would gather at her place. The school board moved the scheduled PD day from Friday to Monday to align with “eclipse day”, so my oldest son was off school anyway.

We gathered in the late morning under cloudy skies. Periodically, I’d step out on the back deck to check the horizon for signs of blue. My weather app radar suggested that clear skies were coming, though I was skeptical. Despite the weather, our spirits were high. We were happy to be together.

About thirty minutes from the start of the partial eclipse, the skies cleared. The unobstructed sun streamed down on our glasses-clad faces. The weather was warm, and we were excited. The boys snuck peaks between rounds of racing between bird feeders.

Near the halfway point, there was a noticeable change in the ambient light. It was as if someone was dialling down a dimmer switch. Clearly, the birds became confused as they began singing evening songs. The temperature began to drop steadily. My youngest son was cold, so I wrapped him up in my arms.

The moment of totality was unforgettable. I watched the tiny sliver of light disappear until I could see nothing through my glasses. I took them off and was suddenly in eerie twilight. We were surrounded by a reddish horizon. Planets and stars were visible in the sky. A bright halo hovered where the sun once was, its interior pure black. My son forgot his chill, sat up in my lap and looked around in wonder, a shrewd smile on his face. We gasped and laughed. It was an experience unlike any other.

I thought about our ancestors and how they must have felt on a day like this one. There may have been lore; you can expect an eclipse over a given spot on Earth once every few hundred years. But despite historical awareness of the phenomenon, without means to accurately track the sun and moon, there would be no way to know when the next eclipse would happen.

I tried to put myself in that frame of mind. As I looked skyward, my amazement was tinged with fear. The end was nigh, and I was staring into the eye of God.