Solar Eclipse Viewing Experience
When: April 8, 2024 from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Location: 2145 Compton Road
The Arlington Eclipse Experience
Choosing a good viewing site for a special celestial event like an eclipse can greatly enhance the experience. An ideal eclipse site should have clear, unobstructed views and minimal light pollution. Parks, observatories, or high elevations in rural areas are sought as excellent spots.
A second factor is experiencing what is called “totality.” Totality is when the moon completely covers the sun. According to those who have witnessed totality, the sky becomes dark enough to see stars, and the sun’s corona becomes visible, creating a breathtaking and unique spectacle. That contrasts markedly with 99% coverage. We experienced that in Cincinnati on April 8th, when the sun was mostly obscured, but the sky remained relatively bright. The corona was not visible, resulting in a dramatic but not a full-on totality.
If Arlington were just 30 miles or so further north, our open fields would have offered a perfect viewing site. As it was, the eclipse was still pretty awesome. And then there is this: The traffic getting to and from the perfect viewing sites was, by all accounts, atrocious and indigestion-inducing!
Our grounds are a community asset, and when we can respectfully open them to the public for something unique, like an eclipse, for example, we will do just that. So, while we may not have hosted crowds swelling into the hundreds like some points north, that was never the intention. The fifty or sixty people who did make the trek to Arlington enjoyed themselves in a low-key, hassle-free environment.
And if you are interested, start making plans to attend Arlington’s next solar eclipse viewing…in 2044!
