Seeing total solar eclipse worth short trip to Ohio for Michigan astronomy buffs

David Panian, The Daily Telegram
The progress of Monday's total solar eclipse is pictured in Findlay, Ohio, moving from right to left in this composite image.
The progress of Monday's total solar eclipse is pictured in Findlay, Ohio, moving from right to left in this composite image.

TOLEDO — Well, that was cool.

David Panian, Daily Telegram reporter
David Panian, Daily Telegram reporter

As night fell during the day, taking off the special glasses and looking up to see a white circle with a black center where the sun had been not long before was just really cool.

Also, it was literally cool. Feeling the temperature drop from about 70 into the low 60s and warm up again was neat, too.

Totality of the solar eclipse is seen Monday in Toledo.
Totality of the solar eclipse is seen Monday in Toledo.

After we saw a partial solar eclipse in Lenawee County in 2017 and it was reported there would be a total eclipse visible right close by in Toledo in 2024, as an astronomy buff knew I had to go see it.

Judging by the long stretch of red on U.S. 23 on the Waze and Google Maps apps Monday morning and afternoon, it seems like many others in Michigan thought that way, too. I’m glad I live in a place where the back roads make it easy to get to and from Toledo.

I guess it’s a good thing I tore one of the two solar filters I bought for my camera lenses while practicing taking photos of the sun on Sunday. It meant I had to find a camera store in the Toledo area that might have similar filters before I headed over to my friends’ home for their watch party. And that meant using mapping apps to get directions to the store.

A kitchen colander is used as a pinhole viewer to cast many crescent-shaped images of the moon passing between the Earth and sun during the solar eclipse Monday in Toledo.
A kitchen colander is used as a pinhole viewer to cast many crescent-shaped images of the moon passing between the Earth and sun during the solar eclipse Monday in Toledo.

When I fired up Waze and saw the traffic backup on southbound U.S. 23 headed into Ohio, I first wondered if there had been a crash or some construction I was not aware of. It took me a couple of minutes to realize there were simply that many people headed to Ohio and they had jammed up the freeway.

My confusion is understandable: Michiganders don’t often willingly travel to Ohio en masse, what with its, ahem, nutty college sports fans and police with a reputation for being extra strict on traffic enforcement when it comes to cars with a Michigan plate.

Even with just a sliver of the sun visible, a solar filter was necessary to photograph the solar eclipse Monday in Toledo.
Even with just a sliver of the sun visible, a solar filter was necessary to photograph the solar eclipse Monday in Toledo.

Yes, I’m aware I’ll probably get emails from people who are proud that they can spell O-H-I-O telling me that, actshually, buckeyes aren’t nuts and there aren’t actshual wolverines in Michigan. Whatever. 42-27, 45-23, 30-24.

Alright, that’s it for the shots at Ohio.

Toledo doesn’t really count as Ohio. We all know the reason why Toledo isn’t in Michigan is because of 19th century presidential politics.

During totality of the solar eclipse Monday, Venus became visible just down and to the right of the moon and sun through the high, thin clouds over Toledo.
During totality of the solar eclipse Monday, Venus became visible just down and to the right of the moon and sun through the high, thin clouds over Toledo.

Seeing the traffic situation just meant I got to drive through Blissfield, Ottawa Lake, Perrysburg, Maumee, Sylvania and other points that aren’t along U.S. 23 on my way to and from my friends’ home near the Toledo Zoo.

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I’m sure lots of you are used to driving down Memorial Highway into Sylvania to go to movies or shopping. I live in Tecumseh and tend to go to Ann Arbor for those things, so it was a change of pace for me to go to Toledo for a show.

And what a show it was! Seeing the moon blot out the sun was as advertised. It’s easy to understand why ancient civilizations viewed solar eclipses with fear and wonder. If your being alive depends on the warmth and light provided by the sun and it disappears and you don’t understand why, well, yeah, that could be pretty scary.

The disc of the sun starts to reemerge after totality during the solar eclipse, seen Monday in Toledo.
The disc of the sun starts to reemerge after totality during the solar eclipse, seen Monday in Toledo.

To me, the incredible thing about the eclipse was experiencing just how much light and heat the sun provides, even when most of it is blocked by the moon. Just a slim sliver of the sun was too bright to look at without the eclipse glasses or the other filter I had for my camera. It was a great demonstration of the life-giving power of our solar system’s star.

Seeing the solar corona — even through the high, thin clouds that moved into the area after noon — was incredible, too. That’s just not something that typically can be seen easily without special equipment.

Having seen one total eclipse, I want to see another. It’s like a good movie: You know how it goes, but repeat viewings bring much joy — and sometimes you even notice things you missed before. I wonder how much airfare to Iceland or Spain will be around the next total eclipse in 2026?

— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Total solar eclipse beckons Michigan stargazers to Ohio

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