The build-up and suspense revolving around the 2024 eclipse have been extremely intense. Conspiracies brought fear to many people as they looked more and more into the little details that aligned this April 8. Simultaneously, the idea that looking at the eclipse bare would damage your eyes ushered in many opinions expressing that the eclipse may not be worth it.
I was initially intrigued by the prospect of the eclipse this year because I did not get the chance to view the 2017 one. I learned of this year’s eclipse in late January due to an Instagram post and immediately brought it up in class which led to Peyton Goss and I working on an extensive story highlighting everything you need to know regarding the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Following this story, Peyton and I began seeing all of these conspiracies talking about how the world was going to end. We looked into them and saw many outliers and things that did not line up and so we thought it best not to not believe them.
Making plans for the day was a hassle considering so many people were coming to Ohio to view this eclipse due to the totality line. But the day came and we drove to a park along the totality line and waited for the moment.
You could see the moon slowly inch across the sun’s surface starting around 1:40 pm and it increasingly covered it. As the sun became less visible, daylight began to dim and it started to look as though it were night out. Then at 3:11, the moment came and the moon covered the sun completely and the sky went dark. At this point, I was allowed to take off my eclipse glasses and view the totality bare, seeing just the corona of the sun. The second I saw it, I knew that this moment I was going to remember forever. Knowing that I would never see it again unless I traveled far gave me a greater appreciation for the event.
Despite the controversial conspiracies revolving around the eclipse, nothing bad occurred and we are all completely okay. Having time to think it over, the drive to see the totality was certainly worth it.
