Cleveland averages five sunny days and eight partly sunny days each April.
By the most generous count, that means Cleveland has about 13 not-cloudy days that month.
In other words, there’s a better than 50-percent chance we’ll be staring at dark clouds on April 8.
We’re spending months preparing for a three-minute interlude — the last total solar eclipse visible from the continental USA until 2044! Some will travel hundreds of miles. And we may all be rewarded… with clouds.
I don’t say that to be a bummer. I offer these percentages because:
A. Parenthood is an exercise in managing expectations and…
B. Those clouds have a silver lining.
Don’t misunderstand me. I want to watch the eclipse with my children. We have eclipse glasses. (Try calling your local library or metroparks, if you’re struggling to find a pair.) I still remember observing the partial eclipse with my son in 2017. My daughter was only nine months old at the time, so I can’t wait to share that experience with her.
We’re so fortunate to be here — both in this region and on this planet. After all, it’s a cosmic coincidence that Earth experiences total solar eclipses. It’s only by chance that the respective proportions and distances of the sun and moon make them look the same size from our space rock.
And we’re so lucky to be here now. The last total solar eclipse visible from Northeast Ohio happened in 1806. Moreover, the sun will become larger as it ages. (Don’t we all?) That means the moon won’t always be big enough or close enough to blot out the sun.
We will experience — if not a miracle — at least a cosmic magic trip. The solar system is going to hide the sun in its shirt sleeve, and we’ll have front row seats.
(Or we’ll see clouds.)
But I promised you a bright side. And here it is: Regardless of weather, we get to share the joy of space with our children.
Because space is fascinating. Our solar system alone contains a hurricane that’s more than 400 years old, a moon with methane lakes, a canyon as big as Delaware, and an enormous nuclear furnace that makes our lives possible.
But space also feels far away… and less imminent than, say, your kids’ favorite YouTuber. It can feel especially abstract to children who prefer hands-on learning. Unless, of course, there’s a once-in-a-generation science experiment happening above them.
So find a way to make the eclipse a family activity. Visit the library for space books. Watch a video together about how eclipses work.
If you can, take them to the Great Lakes Science Center to learn about the 25 astronauts from Ohio, including John Glenn and Neil Armstrong. (My favorite is Sunita Williams. She ran a marathon in space.)
Let your children imagine themselves in the stars.
Because that excitement will linger with your children long after the moon has finished its traipse across the sun’s face.
Even if it’s cloudy.
