Bath celebrates solar eclipse

by Laura Bednar

While Summit County officials encourage people to stay home during the solar eclipse on April 8, there are a few local options for Bath residents who want to enjoy the event in a larger setting.

The Summit County Astronomy Club will have 10 solar-equipped telescopes and over 1,000 viewers at its observatory in Bath Nature Preserve, 4160 Ira Rd. The observatory has a powerful camera that allows one of the telescopes to livestream the eclipse on YouTube. It is recommended that attendees carpool or consider walking to the observatory due to an expected influx of visitors.

During the eclipse, there will be a period of darkness and the temperature will drop 15 degrees, so attendees are cautioned to dress for the weather. In the event the weather prohibits clear viewing of the eclipse, the observatory will show a livestream on one of its large screen TVs from a site with a clear sky.

The observatory plans to be open as much as possible the weekend leading up to the eclipse. See more information and updates at meetup.com/summit-county-astronomy-meetup.

Camp Christopher at 1930 N. Hametown Rd. in Bath is hosting an eclipse watch party from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets are $10 and include access to the camp, lunch, entertainment, parking, space to watch the eclipse and solar eclipse glasses. See more information at ccdocle.org/events.

Crown Point Ecology Center at 3220 Ira Rd. is hosting a “Trails, Treats and Totality,” Solar eclipse viewing party from 1:45-4:45 p.m. The event is free to members and $15 for the general public. Get tickets at crownpointecology.org. 

Make a plan at home

Bath resident Mary Hartman, along with her neighboring family and friends, has organized a solar eclipse viewing at her home. She said potential out of town guests will be coming from six different states. Other local family members in Richfield and Avon are also holding get-togethers, and at each event, people will be studying the eclipse.

The National Air and Space Administration is seeking volunteer eclipse observers and in Hartman’s neighborhood, people are using NASA data collection forms to make notes in the following eclipse categories: monitoring how animals and insects react to an eclipse, recording outdoor temperature every 15 minutes, and noting the colors seen and wind movement at designated times. Data sheets are turned into NASA. For more information on NASA citizen science projects, visit eclipsesoundscapes.org.

Hartman’s celebration will also include space-themed food like cosmic pizza pie, Quasar delight salad, galactic pasta, Kuiper Belt vegetables, Sun Tea, Sunkist orange pop, moon pies, Starbursts, Milkyway and Mars bars, and Orbit and Eclipse gum. Student musicians in the group will perform a sun-themed song by The Beatles. Other activities will include making a styrofoam solar eclipse model and constructing a wooden sundial or crystal sun catcher.

Summit County reminds residents to expect traffic challenges, explore carpooling options, fuel your vehicle in advance and bring ample food and water with you in case you are in a location with limited resources.

Summit Metro Parks stated in a press release that anyone visiting the parks on April 8 should only park in designated parking spaces. People should also only view the eclipse through specialized eclipse glasses, which must meet the ISO 12312-2 safety standard.

Send photos of your eclipse celebration to news@scriptype.com for publication in the Bath Country Journal. ∞