BETHLEHEM, Pa. — WLVR’s Brad Klein reviews the week’s astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s ‘Backyard Astronomy Guy,’ Marty McGuire. This week, Brad and Marty spoke by phone to discuss the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024.
Marty traveled to Tupper Lake, New York to observe the eclipse within the path of 100% totality.
He stationed himself at a solar eclipse viewing festival called “Totality in Tupper.” There, he set up his cameras and telescope and hoped for clear skies. And he was rewarded with clear views of the eclipse, in a location where totality lasted over three minutes. Surrounded by astronomers and attendees, Marty said he felt raw emotions as the moon fully covered the sun.
“There are few words to adequately describe what a total solar eclipse feels like,” McGuire said.
Leading up to the eclipse, Marty had been carefully watching weather forecasts daily.
His plan was to start in Western Pennsylvania and find the likeliest place for clear skies. The Adirondack Mountains proved to be a perfect viewing location, McGuire said.
Back in Bethlehem, Brad watched from Payrow Plaza. Although cloud coverage in the Lehigh Valley was considerable, moments throughout the eclipse were clearly visible between or through the cloud cover. But this did not dim the spirit of over one hundred observers gathered near Bethlehem Town Hall, according to Brad Klein.
“By the peak eclipse moment, we probably had 85 to 95% cloud cover, but we still enjoyed seeing [the eclipse] peek out from among the clouds.”
