IMAGES OF A PARTIAL AND TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TAKEN BY NASA IN 2017 | PHOTO COURTESY NASA GODDARD

Mark your calendars for Monday, April 8, 2024.

While that’s months away, Erie officials have been planning for this day for more than a year.

That’s when the next total solar eclipse — known as the Great North American Eclipse — will pass through the United States and move directly over Lake Erie near Presque Isle State Park. Day will turn to night at 3:16 that afternoon — for 3 minutes and 41 seconds — the longest period of totality in Pennsylvania.

Here in Pittsburgh we’ll see a partial solar eclipse, although it will be even more extensive than the one in 2017, when thousands of Pittsburghers spilled out of office buildings, university classrooms, homes and shopping centers mid-afternoon to view the phenomena. That year the eclipse covered 80% of the sun here (longest time of totality was in Kentucky); next year it will be 97%.

“In math, 97 is close to 100,” says Amanda Iwaniec, director of theater experiences at Carnegie Science Center. “But with an eclipse — no. Totality is totality.” 

Pittsburgh will be cast in shadow, not darkness like in Erie, she says. But she doesn’t want to downplay our experience. “We’re still going to see a pretty amazing thing.”

The next total solar eclipse in this area won’t arrive until 2144 — for our great-grandchidren — so if you want to see the total show, Erie is the place to be.

The Flagship City expects between 65,000 to 250,000 people will visit to view the eclipse, says Christine Temple, director of communications for VisitErie. That estimate comes from GreatAmericanEclipse.com, which uses advanced mapping software, U.S. Census data and a road network model to determine how many people are likely to journey there.

“We are the major city that’s closest to Pittsburgh, D.C., Baltimore and Philly,” she says. Erie is 6 hours from D.C., 7 hours from Philly.

More than 60% of Erie hotel rooms already are booked for the event (dubbed The Ultimate Sunblock) — including most of the waterfront hotels and campgrounds. Fortunately, Downtown Pittsburgh is about a 2-hour drive from Erie so folks can go up and back in one day if necessary. 

But tourist officials are urging visitors to stay away from Presque Isle State Park; there’s only one road in and out and traffic is likely to be horrendous. Ideal viewing places will be Liberty Park, a large grassy area on Presque Isle Bay in the city’s Bayfront District, as well as Shades Beach, east of the city, and Freeport Beach.

Still, because the sun will be high in the sky and above the tree line at 3:16 p.m., people will be able to see the eclipse from just about anywhere in Erie — home driveways and backyards, shopping centers, etc.

PITTSBURGHERS WATCH THE PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN 2017 OUTSIDE THE CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER. | COURTESY CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER

What Erie can’t control is the weather. Historical data shows that April 8 has a 60% chance of cloud cover, Temple says. “Let’s be real. We’re Erie, we’re not the Sunshine State.”  The sky, however,  will turn to a deep twilight during the eclipse whether it’s cloudy or sunny, she says.

A special Erie planning committee has put together a website that lists everything viewers need to know — ErieEclipse2024.com. 

Also, the American Astronomical Society has compiled this list of certified suppliers of safe solar filters or glasses; people can damage their eyes if they look directly at the sun during a partial eclipse. The society strongly recommends not going to Amazon and similar sites because there is no way to validate the glasses are safe. 

The Carnegie Science Center will soon be revving up excitement in Pittsburgh about the eclipse, Iwaniec says. While plans are still being developed, it hopes to offer several educational programs, including how to make a safe eclipse viewing box with household materials. They expect to livestream the event inside the science center from places like Erie that will experience totality — so people will be able to see the phenomena, whether it’s raining or not. 

If people do plan to journey to Erie, Iwaniec says the most important thing is to have a plan on when and where to go. “It’s important to make a plan,” she says. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”