People across Delaware Valley prepare to celebrate rare solar eclipse on April 8

The prime time to catch the partial eclipse locally is between 3:14 p.m. and 3:40 p.m. Monday.

Sharifa Jackson Image
Monday, April 8, 2024
People across Delaware Valley prepare to celebrate rare solar eclipse on April 8
People across Delaware Valley prepare to celebrate rare solar eclipse on April 8

The countdown is on for the historic and rare total eclipse taking place on Monday.

Millions of people are on the move to the path of totality, while the Delaware Valley should be able to see the moon obscure about 90% of the sun's surface.

People are putting plans in place to see the phenomenon and celebrate it, too.

"We've been talking about the eclipse almost the entire year now," said Environmental Education Specialist from Tyler State Park, Bonnie Tobin. "We're not going to have an eclipse quite like this one for another, maybe 350 years."

Tyler State Park education staff and volunteers led a free event to explain the science behind a solar eclipse and how to view it safely.

WATCH LIVE MONDAY | ABC News, National Geographic to air live 'Eclipse Across America' special

It featured interactive demonstrations and crafts for children, which were all solar eclipse-themed.

Matt Hose attended the event. He is using this rare occurrence as a bonding experience with his 6-year-old daughter.

"It's really cool. I mean, happens very rarely. Really cool to experience this with her, and her being so young and seeing it for the first time," said Hose.

The excitement for Monday's solar eclipse also includes sweet treats.

At Lochel's Bakery in Hatboro, they have perfected those treats through intergalactic cakes, cupcakes, and sun and moon-themed cake pops.

RELATED | New calculations have raised concerns popular eclipse maps might be off, here's what scientists say

"I made the cake batter purple and blue. Just, you have to be creative. Make it look like a solar eclipse," said the owner of Lochel's Bakery, Kathleen Lochel.

Customers are quite literally eating them up.

"I would say right now, onto 300 cupcakes in past two days, about 40 to 50 of the cakes, and the cake pops we've sold out of twice and each batch makes 200," said Lochel. "People are really positive about it because again, it's something positive and happy."

Everyone is ready to take in the moment, and Tobin is reminding people about safety.

"The most important thing is to protect your eyes. You don't look directly at the sun on a normal day, and definitely don't look at the sun during an eclipse."

The prime time to catch the partial eclipse locally is between 3:14 p.m. and 3:40 p.m.