Northeast Ohio is a buzz with being the place to be for experiencing a total solar eclipse in the United States. The last time this occurred in our region was in 1806, and the next time it will occur again will be 2099. If you really have not been paying attention to all the eclipse updates, here are some details.
Stages of the Eclipse
The eclipse will occur on Monday, April 8, 2024, starting with a partial eclipse at 1:59:22 p.m. The total eclipse will begin at 3:13:45 p.m., and the maximum eclipse will be at 3:15:40 p.m., lasting two minutes and 49 seconds. The partial eclipse will end at 4:29 p.m. Heat loss from the eclipse will cause a temperature drop of between 4 and 10 degrees.
Do NOT look at the sun without getting solar eclipse glasses that have an “ISO” marking on them in order to meet the ISO 12312-2 standard. Do NOT look at the sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer—the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury.
Eclipse & CWRU
Classes at all CWRU schools for both graduate and undergraduate courses will not be held on campus on Monday, April 8, 2024. Remote offerings are also canceled. All student-facing facilities such as libraries, dining halls and recreational areas will continue to operate as usual.
Faculty members who plan to be on campus on April 8 for research or to meet other requirements are advised to consider traffic issues that may impact travel to/from the university. When possible, arrange activities and meetings off-campus.
Non-essential staff members will have the option to work from home on April 8 with approval from their supervisor. Deans and vice presidents will determine which staff are non-essential. This is not a university holiday—staff members should discuss their situations with their supervisors well in advance of April 8.
Traffic
Local public safety officials expect traffic congestion in the region between the hours of 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. They have advised of heavier traffic in downtown Cleveland, the western Cuyahoga County suburbs and into Lorain County, as well as Shoreway closures around the downtown area. There also will be traffic restrictions on Wade Oval for an eclipse-viewing event.
Eclipse Events
You don’t have to wait until April 8th to attend an eclipse event. On April 4th, the Weatherhead alumni relations team has invited alumni and others to Jolly Scholar for some after-work refreshments from 5:30 – 7p.m., followed by a walk over to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to enjoy their Think and Drink programming from 7-9 p.m.
CWRU be listing all events being held by groups or on-campus soon on its events page.