Celestial sight: Hundreds turn out at Mingo Park Observatory for eclipse; watch parties held throughout region
Hundreds of visitors turned out at Mingo Creek County Park Observatory Monday to witness the solar eclipse in its totality.
And despite some cloud cover, it was a spectacular show.
“That was awesome, just beautiful,” said Sherri Taddeo of Monongahela, who viewed the eclipse with her daughter, Lena Taddeo, a special education teacher in the Elizabeth-Forward School District. “Coming here was not as chaotic as going to Pittsburgh or traveling to see it.”
The crowd was in a festive mood for the celestial event, organized by the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (3A), They stretched out on blankets on the grass or sat in folding chairs, munched on snacks, threw football and played cornhole while waiting for the eclipse to begin.
For Beverly Reck, who was accompanied by her husband, David Reck, her brother, William Heather, and her niece, Elisa Oatis, Monday’s eclipse fell on her 77th birthday.
“I just had to see this one today, on my birthday,” said Reck, who arrived at 1 p.m. for the event.
Said her husband, David, jokingly, “Taking her here was a cheap date.”
At Mingo, where some viewers donned solar eclipse T-shirts and hats, several peered through the Mingo Observatory’s 10-inch solar telescope to catch up-close views of the sun’s surface as the eclipse progressed.
Crowds also formed in impromptu gathering spots around the region, with paper glasses in almost every hand as the eclipse grew nearer.
Several libraries in the region planned viewing events, all offering locals and visitors alike a chance to turn their faces skyward.
Rolling Hills Park in Peters Township was packed Monday afternoon as people gathered for an eclipse watch party organized by the Peters Township Public Library and the local department of parks and recreation.
About an hour before the total eclipse, Sydney Krawiec estimated they had given out around pairs of glasses. In all, they distributed 1,300 pairs.
“We’re grateful that the community is coming together for what is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Krawiec, the library’s program and outreach coordinator.
The park was filled with families. Kids were playing lawn games such as cornhole while waiting for the eclipse. There was also a lengthy line for the Auntie Anne’s pretzel truck.
Josh Doty, a Peters Township resident, was excited to use the occasion to try out his new camera.
“I just figured if we get a chance, I don’t normally point the camera at the sun,” Doty said.
Doty is a nature photographer in his spare time and uploads his work to his Instagram account, nature_treasure_hunter.
Just after 2:01 p.m., the eclipse began at Mingo, with the moon slowly edging its way in front of the sun, but the view was intermittently blocked by clouds.
A small cheer went up from the crowd initially when clouds cleared.
People slipped on their glasses and looked up at the sun as the moon quickly moved across it, blocking the light and resembling a bite from a cookie, then turning into a fingernail, and finally a sliver before it was completely blocked at about 3:17 p.m.
The 3A recorded a temperature drop of 5 degrees – from 73 to 68 – during the course of the eclipse, and a slight breeze whipped up.
The total eclipse was visible to tens of millions from Texas to Maine, with the partial solar eclipse viewable over most of the continental United States.
The region was not in the path of totality – the maximum solar eclipse coverage was about 96%.
Which was plenty for Carol Ware, who traveled to Mingo from Elizabeth. In 2017, Ware traveled to Indiana to watch the solar eclipse, and planned to travel to New York for Monday’s extravaganza, but decided to remain close to home after seeing the unfavorable weather forecast.
“It’s just something you just have to see. I just want to see it. You don’t get the chance very often to see something like this,” said Ware, whose brother provided periodic updates from Indiana, where he had traveled to be in an area of totality.
Making the trek to central Ohio were Bruce and Grace Lani of North Strabane Township, who booked an Airbnb at the beginning of January to see the solar eclipse in 100% totality.
In all, seven adults and two grandchildren made the trip – although one grandchild slept through the event.
“It’s an opportunity to see something that happens only a few times in someone’s life, and it was so close to home – it was a no-brainer to plan to see it,” said Lani, who traveled to South Carolina for the 2017 eclipse.
The next total solar eclipse won’t be visible again from the contiguous United States until 2044, but totality will occur only over North Dakota and Montana, plus northern Canada.