<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3N91RJ_0lenqbPm00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3N91RJ_0lenqbPm00" width="1280" height="1016" ></figure>CLEVELAND, Ohio – By this time next year, everyone in town will be talking about the “path of totality” and where they will be to experience it.Path of totality. Sounds ominous, right? Like the events leading up to a nuclear war.Well, not quite. The path of totality is what astronomers call the swath of the Earth’s surface bathed in deep shadow when the moon completely blocks out the sun.Cleveland will be in the path of totality when parts of North America are treated to a total solar eclipse on the afternoon of April 8, 2024.Whoever is within that roughly 124-mile wide band that will cut across the United States from Texas to Maine will get the full effect of the rare event, the likes of which haven’t been seen in Cleveland since 1806 and won’t again until 2444.Those even barely outside the path will experience much less of a show because the sun is so bright that even a sliver of direct sunlight will mute the dramatic effects.Since Cleveland will be an ideal spot to view the total eclipse, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History – along with the Great Lakes Science Center and the NASA Glenn Research Center – are going all out to make sure as many people as possible can take it all in.Starting the countdown to the big day a year away, eclipse-themed planetarium shows at the museum located on Wade Oval in University Circle are scheduled for Friday through Sunday that will be included with the price of general admission.The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Panetarium, which just went through an upgrade last year, has all sorts of improved visual effects.The astronomy team will be able to simulate an actual total eclipse with the moon blocking out the sun, revealing bright stars and planets in the sky and sunset colors along the horizon.A solar eclipse can only occur during a new moon when the sun and the moon are in the sky together. A new moon happens about once a month, but not a solar eclipse because of the tilt of the moon’s orbit around the Earth and the need for the Earth, moon and sun to be precisely aligned.“This is a huge deal for the city of Cleveland,” said Nick Anderson, senior astronomer at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and a great chance to generate excitement about eclipses, science in general and “the cool things we have to offer here at the museum.”The museum has more events planned starting in the fall when Cleveland will experience a partial eclipse. The museum will launch an array of in-house school programs as well as providing outreach to the community in order to gear up excitement for the total eclipse next spring.That’s when the real sun and moon will be in just the right alignment, plunging Cleveland and other spots along the path of totality into darkness for nearly four minutes.Concidentally, the historic event will fall the day after the final game of the NCAA Women’s Final Four basketball championship to be played at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in downtown Cleveland, a double whammy Destination Cleveland will be marketing to the world.So, come for the basketball. Stay for the eclipse.</div></body>

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Cleveland Museum of Natural History hypes area’s first total solar eclipse in more than 200 years with planetarium shows this weekend

CLEVELAND, Ohio – By this time next year, everyone in town will be talking about the “path of totality” and where they will be to experience it. Path of totality. Sounds ominous, right? Like the events leading up to a nuclear war. Well, not quite. The path...