BY DYLAN VOCHATZER

Monday, April 8th, the world witnessed yet another Solar Eclipse. The last solar eclipse was seen back in 2017. This solar eclipse will be the last one to occur in North America for another 20 years, all the way in 2044. Because of how long away the next eclipse is, this viewing is very important to a lot of people, not just North Americans. Tons of people flew into wherever they can see the solar eclipse, and according to ABCNews, “Zeiler compared eclipse day travel to 50 simultaneous Super Bowls across the nation.” Solar eclipse viewings are seen as this magical, once in a lifetime experience that just cannot be missed.

Obviously, scientists love to say that they are actually “once in a lifetime,” but you can see many throughout one lifetime. I myself will be seeing the one on Monday, and I have seen the one in 2017. Many highschoolers can recall seeing the one 7 years ago, and for all of us, it was our first ever viewing. However, the eclipse back in 2017 was a total eclipse; the sky got very dark and the moon covered 100% of the sun. Unfortunately, Independence will not be in the path of totality like last time, and only 89% of the sun will be obscured. But does this really make a difference in how exciting the viewing is? 

Coming back from the eclipse Monday, April 8th, I can definitely say it does make a difference. It was still super exciting, but the sky was not nearly as dark as in 2017. If I recall correctly, when the moon covered 100% of the sun, it was completely safe to remove your glasses and look right up at the spectacle. Unable to do that this time, it took a little of the excitement away from the experience. 

Now that the event is over, all we have to do is wait until the next eclipse passes through the United States. Or, if you really want to experience totality again, traveling to eclipses that will happen in other countries sooner is a great choice. One day, however, the Earth will experience no more eclipses. Far, far into the future, around some 600 million years, the moon will drift far enough from Earth that it won’t be seen passing in front of the sun, and solar eclipses will never be seen again.

But that’s 600 million years! So when the next solar eclipse comes around, and the ones after that, enjoy them!