CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne says the area is ready for the total solar eclipse on April 8.
"We are literally at the epicenter here on the northern part of the country for the total solar eclipse," Ronayne said Monday.
The eclipse is now less than 30 days away, and on Monday, leaders from across the county gave us a look at what's next.
"Watch parties, festivals, rooftop parties, music events — Cuyahoga County has it all," Ronayne declared.
Working with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Destination Cleveland, and the Metroparks, officials want everyone to know what will happen on April 8.
Destiny Thomas is an Astronomer with CMNH
"This will be an experience that only lasts for a couple minutes," CMNH astronomer Destiny Thomas noted. "So totality for us on April 8 will last for about three minutes and 50 seconds."
We will have twilight in the middle of the day, just as some areas did during the last eclipse back in 2017. Seven years ago, totality never reached the Buckeye State, but this time it will be different.
Thomas says,
"It'll start in Texas, go through about 13 states all together," Thomas said.
And in the CLE, the sky's the limit.
"That'll be at 3:15, at the maximum, for us here in Cleveland."
But from start to finish, the entire experience in Cleveland will be a total of two hours and 30 minutes Experts say the only time you can look up at the sun with the unaided eye will be totality, i.e. when you see the halo.
Here's the bonus: You will be able to see Saturn and Mars, and closer to the horizon — past the sun and the moon — will be Jupiter and Venus
On April 8, you could be dodging thousands of people, and the Metroparks like Edgewater Park will offer open spaces where you can see the life-changing moment. Officials are also reminding us the special glasses are the must of the day, on more ways than one.
"Please put the glasses over your phone, otherwise you will melt it," Brian Zimmerman with the Metroparks said. "You will actually melt the phone.