April 8, 2024 marked the date of the 2024 Solar Eclipse. Also known as the Great North American Eclipse, marking the first major solar eclipse since October of 2023. While the eclipse in 2023 did not pass through the area, it did pass through eight states across the midwest United States. The last eclipse that passed through the local region was in June of 2021.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, therefore obscuring the visibility of the sun totally or partially. The eclipse of 2024’s line of totality passed through multiple states. These states include states between Texas and Maine, but the totality line spans all the way from Canada to Mexico. One of the local areas in the totality line was Erie, Pennsylvania.
Students in Dr. Wargo’s Physics classes traveled to Erie to see the eclipse. Wargo and the students were able to make it in time to view the eclipse in its totality. Other students, like junior Christopher Denkovich traveled up to Erie independently to watch the eclipse.
“Something I really enjoyed about the eclipse was being able to see what occurs during a solar eclipse. It makes you realize you’re just on a planet and there’s so much more to space,” senior Colten Ditmore said.
Over the weekend, State Police officials claimed to be preparing Erie for some 250,000 tourists. Erie’s current population is about 94,000 residents, so 250,000 people is more than double the population of the area. Along with this, people were expecting to hit some roadblocks traveling to Erie. Route 79, a popular highway, travels from Pittsburgh all the way up to Erie. Delays were expected and encountered by travelers. A round trip that should only last around 4-5 hours took nearly 8-10 for some travelers.
Along with traveling delays, some of the travelers decided to reserve hotel rooms for the night before or after the eclipse. Hilton Garden Inn in Summit Township hotel prices are typically $130 per night, but their prices were raised to over $1,000. At TownePlace Suites in Erie, prices were as high as $674 per night. Many other hotels had prices over $500 for a singular night.
The eclipse is a rare occurrence to be seen by many. Most people may not be able to see the ones in the future, so it was important for them to make an effort to see this one. People traveled from all over to these areas of totality to be able to see this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
“Being able to encounter the eclipse is something extraordinary that we may never be able to see in totality again,” junior Thomas Ward said. “Overall it was a surreal once-in-a-lifetime experience.”