The Sunday Story: Notes from an Eclipse Chaser

total solar eclipse.

Day will disappear and the sky will turn dark.

The air will cool, night creatures will awaken, street lights will begin to shine.

And then it will be over, as if it never happened.

Everything will return to the way it was, except perhaps for those who witnessed it.

leaving the surface of the Earth.

He's a science writer and author of the book American Eclipse, the nation's epic race to

catch the shadow of the moon and win the glory of the world.

It's like you're living in some sci-fi movie, seeing a sky you've never seen, seeing the

universe in a whole new way.

It really can change your outlook for years to come, if not the rest of your life.

To view one, you need to be in the moon's shadow that's called the umbra.

He calls himself an umbraphile.

It means a shadow lover, and that's what I am.

I love being in the shadow of the moon.

it just absolutely bowled me over.

It changed my life.

It was the most spectacular thing I'd ever seen.

NPR's scientist-in-residence, Dr. Regina Barber, who is an astrophysicist, talks to David Barron

about the power of a solar eclipse and how it can change your sense of the universe.

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I'm handing it over now to NPR's astrophysicist, Regina Barber,

talking to science writer David Barron about a total solar eclipse.

What exactly is it?

It's called the path of totality, and that is literally where the moon's shadow strikes the Earth.

So there's a broad area where you can see a partial eclipse, but there's a small zone,

a circular or oval zone, that is only there that the moon completely blocks the sun.

So in order to see the total eclipse, you need to be in this so-called path of totality.

And then there's a bigger one.

So there's a large zone of partial shadow, which is called the penumbra,

and a small zone of full shadow, and that's the umbra.

And it's where the umbra races across the Earth.

That is the path of totality.

and then come into the U.S. in southern Texas, cross to the northeast,

and eventually get to New England and exit into the maritime provinces of Canada

before heading out over the North Atlantic.

The date is August 12, 2045.

That one will go from California to Florida and will cross my home state of Colorado.

So that's one I'm particularly looking forward to, and I've got it on my calendar.

but it won't be as far-reaching as the 2045 solar eclipse.

Either way, take away one.

This is your chance to see a total eclipse.

It's a big one, and the next one isn't happening across the U.S. for another 20 years.

So can you tell me what it feels like to experience this total solar eclipse in that moment?

Just the totality part.

As soon as the moon blocks the last rays of the sun,

it's like you're plunged into this weird twilight in the middle of the day,

and you look up at the sky, and the blue sky has been torn away.

You know, the blue sky overhead on any given day

acts as a screen that keeps us from seeing what's in space, and suddenly that's gone.

So you can look into the middle of the solar system and see the sun and the planets together.

It's like you've left the solar system and are looking back from some other world.

Can you tell me about the sounds and the feelings you're feeling?

It's something you experience with your whole body.

Birds will be going crazy, crickets may be chirping.

If you're around other people, they're going to be screaming and crying.

The air temperature drops because the sunlight suddenly turned off.

So I was on a mountaintop in 2017, and it got chilly.

And also you're just immersed in the moon's shadow.

It's like this palpable thing that has moved over you.

You get that the hair stands up on the back of your neck.

It's so weird, it just doesn't feel real.

Can you go into that a little bit more?

you have a progressive partial eclipse as the moon slowly covers the sun.

So over the course of an hour, an hour and a quarter, the sunlight will be very slowly dimming.

It's as if you're in a room in a house and someone is very slowly turning down the dimmer switch.

And for most of that time, your eyes are adjusting and you don't notice it.

But then there's a point at which the light's getting so dim that your eyes can't adjust.

And weird things happen so that your eyes are less able to see color.

And so it's as if the landscape is losing its color.

Also, there's an effect where the shadows get very strange.

I'm like, look at these shadows, they're crescents.

One is if you look under a tree, the spaces between leaves or branches will act as pinhole projectors.

So they will project onto the ground the shape of the sun.

And so you'll see tiny little crescents everywhere.

But there's another effect which is as the sun goes from this big orb in the sky

to something that's much, much smaller, shadows grow sharper.

And so as you're nearing the total eclipse, I mean, if you have the sun behind you

and you look at your shadow on the ground, you might see individual hairs on your head.

It's just very odd.

And sometimes you can't quite put your finger on what it is that you're seeing,

but you know that it's wrong.

And it just gets wronger and wronger as totality approaches.

Be prepared for weird effects on your eyes and your ears and your overall vibe.

And some people might say, OK, I haven't planned to go yet.

Is it too late? The partial eclipse is just as good.

Like maybe I'm close to the path of totality.

What will they see during a partial eclipse?

And if you're in an area where you see a deep partial eclipse,

the sun will become a crescent like the moon.

You can only look at it, of course, with eye protection.

Don't look at it with the naked eye.

The light can get eerie. It's fun.

But it is not one thousandth as good as a total eclipse.

A total eclipse is a fundamentally different experience

because it's only when the moon completely blocks the sun

that you can actually take off the eclipse glasses

and look with the naked eye at the sun.

And you will see a sun you've never seen before.

The bright surface is gone.

And what you're actually looking at is the sun's outer atmosphere,

which is called the solar corona.

And it's the most dazzling sight in the heavens.

It's this beautiful textured thing.

It looks sort of like a wreath or a crown.

And it's made out of tinsel or strands of silk.

It shimmers in space.

It's different every time.

The shape is constantly changing.

It's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen in the heavens.

And you will only see that if you're in the path of the total eclipse.

And so I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating.

But if you are in an area where you're seeing a 99% partial eclipse...

Drive those few miles. Get into the path of totality.

A partial eclipse is cool, but not 1,000th as good as a total eclipse.

Takeaway 3.

See if you can drive just a little further to be in an optimal spot.

And it's simple to find that spot.

When I started, you know, there wasn't much on the Internet.

You'd have to get a book or get from NASA some eclipse bulletin

saying what eclipses are coming next.

Now you can very easily find online interactive maps of, frankly,

every total solar eclipse for the next 5,000 years.

The eclipse chasing community is very tight-knit.

And there are folks who will share their expertise.

There's an eclipse chaser named Jay Anderson.

He's a meteorologist in Canada.

He is always analyzing climate data for eclipses a few years out.

He has a website called EclipsoFile.

File with a P-H.

EclipsoFile.com.

And he will post his analysis of, okay, along this eclipse track,

here's where you're most likely to see it.

Here's what the weather patterns are for that time of year.

And other eclipse chasers who are professional cartographers,

and they'll put together these beautiful maps

helping you to decide where to go.

And there are also listservs and Facebook groups

where people will share ideas.

There are several different smartphone apps available now

for the total eclipse.

One is called Totality by Big Kid Science that I like.

It's free.

It'll tell you for where you are precisely to the second

when the eclipse will begin as a partial eclipse,

when totality will begin, when it will end.

There are some that will actually count down the seconds for you

and tell you when totality is about to end.

So those can be good too, but you certainly don't need them.

and they're all fun.

I've gone to some total eclipses where I've been pretty much by myself,

like in the Faroe Islands way up in the North Atlantic

where there were other people there,

but I just found a remote spot to watch it by myself.

In Munich in 1999, I was on a rooftop at the hotel

and looking out over the city with hundreds of thousands of other people,

and that was a great experience to be part of this collective shout

that rose from the city as the moon's shadow came in.

And that's one of the reasons I keep going back

is there are so many ways to have a total eclipse experience.

They're all different.

What would you say to somebody who's like,

I haven't reserved a hotel, I haven't thought about this until right now,

days before?

but know you are absolutely not too late.

You're not too late until totality sets in.

And really, I mean, first of all,

you could just decide, wherever you are in the country,

to hit the road at midnight and drive 10 hours

to get into the path of totality.

I know people who've done that, and they're very glad they did.

Back in 2017, I gave a TED Talk encouraging people

to go to the path of totality,

and afterwards I got these glowing emails from people who said,

you know, I saw your TED Talk a few days before the eclipse.

I decided to drop everything.

I drove to Tennessee.

I got stuck in the most horrible traffic ever, coming home,

and you know it was so absolutely worth it.

So it's definitely not too late.

However, be prepared to be self-sufficient for a while,

because you may get stuck in terrible traffic.

Your self-service may not work if the area is flooded with people.

So print out a map of where you're going,

in case your GPS doesn't work.

Bring cash.

The ATMs conceivably will run out of cash.

It's possible that you'll have trouble getting gas.

Fill up your car.

I don't want to suggest it's going to be the apocalypse,

but there will be areas that will see apocalyptic traffic,

particularly after the eclipse.

It's like you're leaving the basketball game or the concert

and rushing back to the parking lot to leave,

but so is everyone else.

Hang out for a while, wait for the big surge of traffic to go,

and then head on out.

The traffic is going to be rough.

Be prepared with enough gas, water, and snacks.

Or just wait a day or at least a few hours to go home.

Now let's get to the nitty-gritty.

What about equipment?

So what do people need to watch the total solar eclipse,

or any eclipse, without damaging their eyes?

which if you get them early enough, they don't cost very much.

They're all at $1 or $2, but they probably will run out,

so you want to get them as soon as you can.

And the cheapest ones, they just have cardboard frames

and these Mylar lenses.

But get those, and also bring your eyes.

If you're in the path of the total eclipse,

as soon as it becomes total, take the eclipse glasses off,

because if you don't take them off, you're not going to see anything.

And it's perfectly safe while the surface of the sun is covered.

The solar corona, the sun's outer atmosphere,

is as bright as the full moon.

So that, all you need is your eyes.

There is a way to observe a partial solar eclipse that's perfectly safe,

where you don't need eclipse glasses,

and that is by making a pinhole projector.

So just take a piece of cardboard or a paper plate

and poke a tiny little hole in it,

and then don't look through it,

but let the sunlight go through it onto another surface.

And where the sunlight has been projected through that hole

onto another surface, you'll see,

instead of a circular sun, you'll see a little crescent

as the sun shrinks to a crescent.

So that's a fun thing to do.

Honestly, I think it's more fun and easier just to use the eclipse glasses.

But if you can't get them,

that's another way to observe the phases of the partial eclipse.

Pack those eclipse glasses.

Maybe make a homemade pinhole projector.

And be patient.

So, I'm getting ready. I'm getting so excited.

I'm going to go to Buffalo.

I'm really worried the weather isn't going to be great.

Can you tell me a little bit more about, like,

how weather conditions can affect your experience?

because you want to see the sun when it's covered by the moon.

You want to see the solar corona.

You want to see the colors of the sky.

It's twilight overhead, but on the horizon all around you,

it looks like sunset and orange glow.

You'll be able to see planets if the sky is clear.

You'll see Jupiter and Mars and Saturn and Venus.

That will be cool.

So the clearer the sky, the better.

If you're under cloudy skies, that's not great.

But, first of all, you will certainly feel the moon's shadow coming over you.

Because even if it's a socked-in day,

it'll go from being gray to being black to being gray again.

It will feel very weird.

Also, unless it's just completely overcast with no chance,

you may get lucky.

In fact, total eclipses change the weather.

Under some conditions, they can cause clouds to clear up

because all of a sudden the sunlight and the sun's warmth are being cut off.

That changes the evaporation of moisture from the surface and convection.

Sometimes, as the partial eclipse is progressing,

the clouds will go away or a hole will open up in the clouds.

That's happened to me a couple of times.

In those, I just count to pure luck.

But I was in Australia in 2012,

and it was raining during the partial eclipse,

and everyone was really glum.

Then, about ten minutes before totality,

this hole opened up in the clouds in exactly the right place.

I got to see the whole total eclipse.

So don't give up, even if it's not looking good.

I love this, David. Thank you so much.

Last question.

Why is it your life mission to get as many people as you can

to the path of totality to experience this wonderful event,

this total solar eclipse?

Why should somebody see one before they die?

who was the biggest eclipse evangelist ever.

He was a solar astronomer at Williams College

who went to every solar eclipse, total or partial,

partly because it was his job, it was his study,

but also he just loved the experience,

and he encouraged everyone he knew to go see a total eclipse.

It was because of his advice to me,

when he said in all seriousness that before I died,

I owed it to myself to see a total eclipse,

and I went to see my first total eclipse,

and he was so right, and I am so grateful to Jay Pasachoff,

who died a little over a year ago,

and I really see it as my responsibility to pass this on to others.

Not everyone becomes an eclipse chaser,

but I don't know anyone who's seen a total eclipse

who hasn't been bowled over by it,

and hasn't been grateful that they were encouraged to go see it.

You've given me so much hope. I'm so excited.

have clear skies on April 8th.

and umbrophile David Barron about the power of a total solar eclipse.

His book about the 1878 eclipse is called American Eclipse,

a nation's epic race to catch the shadow of the moon

and win the glory of the world.

You can check out more Life Kit episodes at NPR.org slash Life Kit.

This episode of Life Kit was produced by Sylvie Douglas.

Life Kit's visuals editor is Beck Harlan.

The digital editor is Malika Gharib,

and Megan Cain is the supervising editor.

Beth Donovan is the executive producer.

Engineering support came from Robert Rodriguez.

Justine Yan produced this episode for The Sunday Story.

I'm Aisha Roscoe.

Up first, we'll be back tomorrow with all the news you need to start your day.

Until then, have a great rest of your weekend.

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