Solar eclipse did not disappoint in Norfolk

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Last week’s total solar eclipse did not disappoint. Although the Niagara Region had been touted as the best place in Canada to view the phenomenon, that designation might as well have gone to Norfolk County.

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We lucked out with the best possible viewing conditions. The forecast in the days leading up to the Monday event looked 50-50 at best, with ample cloud cover projected. Rain and overcast skies preceded the afternoon eclipse, but, magically, the clouds gave way to blue skies a couple of hours beforehand. It was the Niagara Region that was hampered by day-long cloud cover.

The hundreds of thousands of people who flocked to Niagara couldn’t have been entirely satisfied. Those who made the trip to the honeymoon capital from a significant distance were gouged for their overnight accommodations with some hotels purportedly charging upwards of $1,000. To pay that much money and then contend with almost complete cloud cover couldn’t have contributed to the experience these people had eagerly anticipated.

Half of the fun was being able to view the moon’s gradual obscuring of the sun – something we in Norfolk could see with complete clarity, but which was largely denied to those in the Niagara Region. Those cheap, cardboard eclipse glasses allowed for a vivid picture of this once-in-a-lifetime happening unfolding before our eyes.

Anyone along the path of the eclipse who contended with afternoon-long cloud cover – and who were wearing the special glasses – missed out on something special. The only thing they really experienced was the sudden darkness when the moon completely blocked out the sun.

The glasses demonstrated just how powerful the sun really is. Nothing except for the sun could be seen when they were worn. Even when the moon covered 99 per cent of the sun, what little sunlight that peeked out was still enough for adequate illumination, even though an otherworldly hue was cast moments beforehand. Eclipse viewers blessed with a clear blue sky could witness the countdown to totality. Those contending with cloud cover weren’t so fortunate.

The moment of total darkness, though, was the highlight of the experience. Streetlights immediately clicked on, a noticeable drop in temperature was felt and cheers among residents in the neighbourhood erupted.

We snipped the lenses from a spare pair of glasses we had and taped them onto the camera lens on our cell phones. It made for ideal photographs that have now become keepsakes.

It was yet another item to be crossed off my bucket list. There’s no guarantee I’ll still be around when the next one comes along.

I haven’t heard any news about an uptick in eye injuries and, hopefully, such a thing hasn’t happened. I’d like to think people were smart enough to wear the special glasses when they were looking up at the sun.

Simply put, the eclipse was an unforgettable experience and something that will be hard to top.

Mike Jiggens is a Delhi resident