CLEVELAND — Whether you live in Northeast Ohio, or you’re visiting us to get a great view of the upcoming total solar eclipse, you may have seen a billboard up on Cleveland's Near East Side that makes an interesting claim.
Paid for by Lorain County Visitors Bureau, the billboard is on St. Clair Avenue by East 43rd Street. It says, "Join us on the dark side Monday April 8. Totality is only visible in Lorain County."
THE CLAIM
That last part is what we’re VERIFYING today, as we answer the question, "Is totality for the April 8 solar eclipse only visible in Lorain County?"
THE SOURCES
To get to the bottom of what this billboard really means, we talked to the following people:
- Cleveland Museum of Natural History Astronomer Destiny Thomas
- Lorain County Visitors Bureau Board President David Moore
- NASA Glenn Public Engagement Lead Chris Hartenstine
THE EXPLANATION
Astronomer Destiny Thomas explained the concept of centerline to us, and how that impacts viewing the moment the moon completely blocks the sun during a total solar eclipse:
"The duration of totality will vary place to place because it's based on how the moon shadow hits the earth. And since the earth is curved, that's also taken into account. It's also based on how close a location is to the central line. So, the closer you are to the central line, the longer duration of totality you have."
If you go to the Lorain County website that’s listed on the billboard as LorainCountyOhio.gov, you can find a page with a graphic showing the total eclipse’s centerline path across Northeast Ohio.
When we asked about the billboard, Lorain County Visitors Bureau Board President and Board of Commissioners Vice Chair David Moore told us this:
"Lorain County is not only in the path of totality, but on the centerline for this event. The earth’s moon will completely shadow the sun over Lorain County municipalities and townships offering the longest totality in Northeast Ohio.”
But the billboard doesn’t say that. It says, "Totality is only visible in Lorain County."
When we showed the billboard to NASA Glenn Public Engagement Lead Chris Hartenstine, he told us this:
"While it’s true that Lorain County sits on the centerline of the April 8 total solar eclipse, it is not the only place where totality will be visible. Here in Ohio, the path of totality will move from just north of Cincinnati, over Dayton, Springfield and Lima, barely over Toledo and just north of Columbus before crossing directly over Lorain, Akron, and Cleveland.
"The centerline for the moon’s shadow will always have longer totality compared to locations at the edges of the shadow at the same time. In Ohio, the longest duration will be on centerline at Ohio's western border, just south of Union City, at 3 minutes 59 seconds. Centerline duration will gradually decrease as the shadow travels east across the state. Lorain County’s duration on centerline will be 3 minutes and 53 seconds. By the time the moon’s shadow crosses the Ohio/Pennsylvania border over Lake Erie, it will be 3 minutes, 49 seconds on the centerline."
THE ANSWER
So we can VERIFY the answer to the question, "Is totality for the April 8 solar eclipse only visible in Lorain County?," is no.
You’ll be able to see totality in a lot of places, right here in northeast ohio, for varying amounts of time based on where you are in relation to the centerline.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
NASA Glenn's Hartenstine also told us:
"The longest duration of totality for the entire eclipse is 4 minutes, 28 seconds, near Torreón, Mexico. The path of totality enters the United States in Texas and travels northeast through Maine, passing over several states along the way."
If you see something you'd like to be VERIFIED as true or false, please email us at verify@wkyc.com or text us at 216-344-3300.