Ironwood to witness partial eclipse of sun

IRONWOOD — For two hours and 41 minutes Monday the Ironwood area is going to experience a partial eclipse of the sun. The solar eclipse starts at 11:49 a.m. And reaches its maximum, approximately 80 percent masked by the moon, at 1:10 p.m., ending at 2:30 p.m.

This is the first eclipse in 99 years to sweep from coast to coast in the United States and veteran eclipse watchers warned the uninitiated to be prepared to be blown away by the eclipse if they have not witnessed one prior.

Across the US, 200 million people are within a days drive to the path of totality, as towns and parks brace for the onslaught of visitors today. Salem, OR has transformed the state fairgrounds into a campground, turning the eclipse-watching event into a huge party for 8,500 people.

In 1979, an intrepid Globe reporter remembers watching the last total solar eclipse in North America, which was only visible to a handful of states and the Pacific Northwest. On that day the sky turned dark while waiting for the bus, before the eclipse in veered north into Canada.

Todays eclipse will cast a shadow through 14 states, entering the country at Lincoln City, OR before shooting diagonally to a location near Charleston, SC at 2:47 p.m. EST. The National Weather Service the skies will remain clear for most of today for people viewing the eclipse.

Scientists are quipping people should put down their phones and portable electronic devices and take a gander at the cosmic event of most peoples lifetime. The next solar eclipse in the U.S is in 2024 and the next coast-to-coast eclipse is in 2045.

— Ian Minielly