April 8 is just a little over two weeks away and barring low clouds and rain we will be in for the astronomical experience of a lifetime; a total eclipse of the dun.

A total eclipse of the sun occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the Sun. When the Earth and the Moon line up exactly a “total eclipse” occurs. This is because the diameter of the Sun is 400 times that of the Moon and happens to be 400 times further away.

During a total eclipse the Moon covers the face of the Sun completely blocking its light for a short time while casting its shadow on the Earth. There are two parts to this shadow; the “umbra” where sunlight is completely blocked and where the eclipse is total and the “penumbra” where only some sunlight is blocked, resulting in a partial eclipse.

On April 8, as the Earth rotates the Moon’s shadow will travel from west to east across the Earth’s surface from over the Pacific passing northeast over Mexico, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and then over Lake Erie, a few miles off the Chautauqua County shore.

The umbra or path of totality on April 8 will be approximately 115-mile wide stretching in our region from Hamilton, Ontario, Southeast to the Olean area. Here in the north county, we will be just a few miles from the center of this zone and viewers will be able to experience a total eclipse for a period of from 3 minutes, 28 seconds in Gowanda to 3 minutes, 42 seconds in Dunkirk the difference being that Dunkirk is closer to the center line of totality. The show will begin shortly after 2 p.m. with the beginning of totality starting 3:17 p.m. The show will wind down with the end of the partial phase around 4:40 p.m.

To enhance your experience, keep in mind that when the Sun is obscured, features that are normally not visible will be seen. One of these is the Sun’s corona or its outer atmosphere that consists of gas glowing at temperatures of from 1 million to 2 million degrees Celsius. The Sun’s magnetic field attracts the gas which in turn outlines the shape of the magnetic field.

Some observers may see that part of the edge of the Moon appears to be highlighted by a very thin deep red crescent. This feature is the lower portion of the Sun’s atmosphere called the Chromosphere which has a temperature of 10 thousand degrees Celsius and is composed of hydrogen gas. Other viewers may notice individual red blobs along the edge of the Moon. These are prominences, which are clouds of gas held in place by the Sun’s magnetic field and are many times the size of our Earth.

Also visible are Bailey’s Beads named for astronomer Francis Bailey who first described them during an 1836 eclipse. The beads are caused by irregularities on the Moon’s surface that allow small portions of the Sun’s surface to shine through. They are most visible along the edge of the path of the Moon but can sometimes be observed in the few seconds before and after totality. Also, just as the Sun is about to be totally eclipsed or emerging from totality you may notice rapidly moving bands of shadows racing across the ground.

Also wildlife may become confused during totality because bright daylight has been suddenly replaced by darkness. You may even notice that birds may stop singing and fly to their roost.

Now a word of caution. Never look directly at the Sun and don’t depend on sunglasses or dark objects like photo negatives or a black trash bag because none of these protect eyes against infrared radiation that can cause permanent eye damage. Further never ever use a telescope or binoculars to view the Sun unless fitted with an eclipse filter. While the county is supplying glasses for viewing, a wide variety can also be purchased from many sources (I got mine last December from Amazon) and should meet the ISO 12312-2 (sometimes written as ISO 12312-2:2015) international safety standard. Filters that are ISO 12312-2 compliant not only reduce visible sunlight to safe and comfortable levels but also block all but a tiny fraction of solar UV and IR radiation.

For those of you who can’t get enough of solar eclipses and also like to travel, the next one will occur in 2026 passing over the northern fringes of Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. North America won’t experience another solar eclipse until 2033 and that will only be visible in Alaska.

The next North American solar eclipse will occur in 2044 with visibility confined to Western Canada, Montana, and North Dakota. The next solar eclipse visible from coast to coast in the U.S. will occur in 2045 and be visible from Northern California all the way to Cape Canaveral Florida. Finally, NASA says that it usually takes 400 to 1,000 years for totality to return to the same spot. So, yes, it is a once in a lifetime experience.

There are anywhere from two to five partial solar eclipses each year, with a total solar eclipse occurring approximately every 18 months. Whether you can view a solar eclipse depends on where you are on the Earth.

Finally, let’s hope for clear skies on April 8.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident.