Asheville's NC Arboretum drew crowds for prime solar eclipse viewing
ASHEVILLE - Western North Carolina had the best view in the state of the 2024 total eclipse, with up to 87% coverage in some areas of the region, which helped to draw crowds from across North Carolina to sit on the grass and stare up at the sky.
Fair weather, spring blooms and enthusiastic crowds showed up for the rare event at the 434-acre North Carolina Arboretum.
After closing the entrance gate due to a lack of parking, Arboretum Communications Manager Brian Postelle said he couldn't remember another event as busy, with the possible exception of the Arboretum's annual Winter Lights show.
Toward the back of the Arboretum Education Center, the eclipse elicited "Oohs" and "Aahs" from viewers young and old, especially during peak coverage at 3:09 p.m. Clouds that had been covering the sky dissipated shortly before the eclipse's peak.
The event included a presentation from Vice President of Education for the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies Theresa Schwerin, who demonstrated the proper use of eclipse glasses, how to track data for GLOBE Observer, and facts about past and future eclipses.
The N.C. Arboretum partnered with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies to bring two NASA-funded citizen science programs, GLOBE Observer and Eclipse Soundscapes, to the Asheville area.
GLOBE Observer is a NASA-funded citizen science database in which participants collect data on temperature changes, cloud changes and land coverage from the solar-lunar crossover.
Recording temperature data during the eclipse for GLOBE Observer, Schwerin and others recorded a nearly 10-degree temperature drop from 76 degrees to around 67 degrees.
The next total solar eclipse to pass over the contiguous United States will be August 2044, Schwerin noted. The next time North Carolina is in the direct path of a total solar eclipse will be in 2078, Schwerin said. Before the 2017 eclipse, the last total eclipse to cross over North Carolina skies was in 1900.
Attendees show eclipse excitement
Sitting on the edge of a small pool near the Arboretum entrance, Jenna Mixon stared into a modified Ritz Cracker box just as the eclipse began around 2 p.m.
Mixon felt there was "more hype" around this year's eclipse than the 2017 celestial event, which might explain why she couldn't find eclipse glasses earlier in the day.
Instead, Mixon made a pin-hole camera out of the box, allowing her to view the eclipse safely. She had done the same thing during the 1979 eclipse in Chicago, she said.
Also at the event were James and Merle Dixon, who made the four-hour trip from Fort Bragg to the Arboretum. Both were wearing "Total Eclipse 2024" merchandise and vibrant eclipse glasses. Merle spread out a blanket and stared at the sky during peak coverage.
Though the next eclipse is 20 years away, James Dixon hopes to observe it from the path of totality, perhaps in North Dakota, South Dakota or Montana.
"I guess I'm going to have to take a trip to Montana," he said while staring at the sky.
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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected]. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Packed Arboretum eclipse event sees one of the best views in NC
