Total Eclipse Grabs Some Hearts
Locals Flock North and Look Up On The Island as Eclipse Shadows Maine
BAR HARBOR AND A LOT MORE PLACES—Local residents ventured north for a peek at the peak totality while others went to parts of Acadia National Park or just outside their own homes to witness a solar eclipse that shadowed parts of North America.
Mount Desert Historical Society Director Raney Bench travelled from Southwest Harbor with John Bench, Emery Bench, and friend Keri Hayes to Rangley.
“It was phenomenal, one of the coolest thing I've ever seen,” she said. “And the collective experience of other people watching and clapping, cheering, and enjoying it was very cool.”
According to the Bangor Daily News’ Leela Stockley, “By Monday afternoon, an estimated crowd of 4,000 had showed up in downtown Houlton, filling up most of the available parking.”
“The transition from a sliver of sun to totality was SO cool and so fast. Seeing the stars come out, the sunset like sky, but that black disk was surreal,” she said. “Totally worth it.”
Closer to home, Abby Morrow from the Jesup Memorial Library helped prepare some kindergarten students at Conners Emerson, which like all island schools, closed early. She read a book about eclipses to Mrs. Dyer's class. Others mapped routes, bought glasses, and prepared.
Councilor Matt Hochman stayed in Bar Harbor
“As soon as we got out of work, Angel and I headed down to the pier to watch the eclipse, it was definitely exciting to watch,” he said. “I'm a big fan of celestial events, comets, meteor showers, eclipses. So, to see a near total right here at home was pretty special!”
“There was a pretty large crowd at the pier and Agamont Park. It was fun to experience it as kind of a communal event,” Hochman said.
While the skies darkened somewhat, totality wasn’t experienced in Bar Harbor. Images and videos taken with light-reducing filters obscure the actual quality of light and make that darkness seem more dramatic than it actually was. Instead, the light took on a golden hue.
Observers gathered in the park, the pier, but also on porch landings at employee housing on School Street or in yards, dark safety glasses perched on noises, calling out to each other.
“Wow,” yelled one woman. “Would you look at that? That is a-maz-ing.”
“So weird. So weird,” said the woman with her.
Traveling to witness an astronomical event is something Mainers have done for the last couple centuries. Hosting others who want to witness it too has also been a tradition for Maine residents.
Jena Young and her family headed from Bar Harbor to Greenville, Maine. She, her husband, two children, and daughter’s boyfriend met up with local friends once they arrived.
“I didn’t expect it to be as special as it was! I was seeing something I’d never seen and probably never will again. Taking the glasses off in totality and seeing with the naked eye was awe inspiring,” she said “It was totally worth the long day. I loved knowing that my kids were experiencing something so unique and they really seemed to soak it up.”
In 1932, Maine hosted a special train ride for enthusiasts.
In 1963, Mount Desert Island was in the path of totality. Dow Airforce jets chased the shadow across the state, the Bangor Daily News reported. Totality came to Bar Harbor about 15 minutes before 6 p.m.
The New York Times’ Elizabeth Dias wrote,
“The solar eclipse tapped into a primal emotion. It evoked for many a mystical moment, as awareness of the celestial encompassed the earth. It revealed the close dance between spirituality and science.
“For a nation pulled apart by every manner of division, the eclipse also offered a moment of unity, however brief. It was a reminder to everyone, on the same day and at the same time, that life can be magical. That being alive is a collective experience. That there is something astonishing about being part of the greater story of things.”
The story of things also resonated within some of Bench’s comments about her experience.
Bench’s historical and cultural wonderment came into play, too.
“I kept thinking of what it would be like to experience this without knowing what was happening,” she said. “I was shocked by how much light you still get with a tiny sliver of sun. We saw the shadow bands, which were also amazing.”
So much light can be derived from such a tiny sliver of sun. It might be a lesson for communities, too. We can choose to focus on darkness, or on light, or on, like the eclipse day, both.
The next total solar eclipse within the contiguous United States will be in August 2044. Totality will touch just three states: Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Alaska will experience a total solar eclipse on March 30, 2033.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/list-total-solar.html
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/04/08/state/total-eclipse-exodus-maine/
I love how hard you and Shawn work to report EVERYTHING that occurs in and around our community. Simply outstanding work!