ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Will the clouds cooperate with the “celestial ballet”?
That’s the question floating over Western North Carolina this week as sky-gazers prepare for a partial solar eclipse on Monday afternoon.
Leading up to the rare event, area weather forecasts were, well, nebulous.
As of Thursday, the Weather Channel’s weather.com was predicting “partly cloudy” skies over the Asheville area: “Intervals of clouds and sunshine in the morning with more clouds for later in the day.”
That gives pause to those who recall some cloudy interruptions of an eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, when the region was closer to the direct path of “100 percent totality” for the eclipse.
This time, that path is further west, but with 85 percent of the sun being blocked by the moon here, a partial eclipse still is expected to darken the skies like dusk or dawn.
“We’re still in a pretty good spot,” said Tim DeLisle, director of software engineering and acting director of education at The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute, or PARI, in Translylvania County.
PARI is projecting the peak of the eclipse to be about 3:08 p.m. Monday at its dark sky certified park in Rosman.
As of Thursday, limited registration spots still were available for an eclipse event from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., including an education session, lunch and then “comfortable eclipse viewing” from 1:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost is $80, or $40 for children under 12.
DeLisle said he’s not too worried about the weather. “If we have clouds at the absolute moment of absolute coverage but sun 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after, it’s still going to be pretty good.”
He said a similar event drew 1,500 people for the 2017 eclipse. He said there are many types of eclipse watchers: those who are wrapped in the moment, pondering their place in the universe; those who are making scientific observations, like children who will be using mobile apps to help NASA collect data; people who are determined to take pictures, and more.
Then there are those who don’t seem to care, he said. “I think it’s one of those things everyone should set aside some tie to do,” DeLisle said. “I think they’ll be glad they did.”
No matter where people try to view the eclipse, experts imploring people to avoid looking at the sun without protective, eclipse-safe eyewear.
At the University of North Carolina at Asheville, the Society of Physics Students is promising a free “Extravagant Eclipse Viewing Day,” starting at noon on Monday.
“Come and learn about the fundamentals of physics, astronomy and mathematics in hands-on demonstrations and view the eclipse,” the group urged in a notice.
A “Great American Eclipse” event is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Carolina Arboretum, including activities for those of all ages.
There will be a livestream broadcast from the path of totality, and visitors can take part in NASA’s “Eclipse Soundscapes” experiment, helping collect observations about what they hear, see or feel during the eclipse, an invitation states. With a GLOBE Observer mobile app, people also can take observations of things like temperature changes and sky conditions during the eclipse.
No registration is required, but regular parking fees apply, the notice states.
NASA says there are differences between the 2024 eclipse and the one in 2017.
Some people don’t realize that the moon’s distance from Earth varies during its orbit. In 2017, the moon was further away from Earth when it passed to block the sun, so the path of total eclipse was more narrow, ranging from about 62 miles to 71 miles wide, compared to an 108- to 122-mile path this time.
In short, “this eclipse covers more ground,” NASA explained in an online article earlier this year.
That, combined with northeasterly path way, has put more populated areas on the path of totality — 31.6 million people in 2024, compared to 12 million in 2017, the article states. Meanwhile, another 150 million people live within 200 miles of the path, raising eclipse expectations.
After helping organize eclipse events in the past, DeLisle said he still is astounded by one thing: some people will complain that they’re busy on the announced time and day, so they ask, “Can’t you reschedule it?”