When the total solar eclipse, dubbed “The Great America Eclipse,” stretches across the U.S. on April 8, 2024, Cleveland, Ohio, will have a prime position in what’s called the path of totality.
To help you see the event, and take part in the city’s festivities, Cleveland has launched a promotion called the Ultimate Cleveland Total Solar Eclipse Giveaway. The grand prize winner will receive — among other prizes — an overnight stay for up to four people at a downtown Cleveland hotel on April 8, 2024.
To enter the contest, hopeful travelers first need to play an online, interactive game called Road Trip to CLE.
“Can you make it to The Land in time to catch the Total Solar Eclipse?” This Is Cleveland asks. “This interactive game races you through Cleveland with a mission to make it downtown before the Moon totally blocks out the Sun. Trust us, it’s pretty stellar.”
Cleveland And The Total Solar Eclipse
A solar eclipse requires a somewhat rare alignment of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. When they line up exactly, the Moon blocks the Sun’s light from reaching Earth, and instead, the Moon casts a shadow on Earth.
The Moon’s shadow isn’t large enough to cover the Earth, which is why the shadow is always limited to a certain area. The Moon’s shadow also moves during the eclipse because the Moon is in constant rotation around the Earth, and the Earth continuously rotates on its axis while it orbits the Sun.
“People viewing the eclipse from locations where the Moon’s shadow completely covers the Sun, the path of totality, will experience a total solar eclipse,” NASA explains. “The sky will darken, as if it were dawn or dusk.”
On April 8, 2024, totality in the U.S. will begin in Texas at 1:27 p.m. Central Daylight Time, according to Great American Eclipse. In Cleveland, the partial eclipse will begin at 1:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Totality, which will begin at 3:13 p.m. in Cleveland, will last 3 minutes and 50 seconds.
During totality, the temperature will drop and crickets will start chirping as if it is nighttime, said Chris Hartenstine, public engagement lead with NASA Glenn Research Center, according to Cleveland.com.
“It’s a very dramatic effect once you have totality,” Hartenstine said.
The reason Cleveland, which is near a large percentage of the U.S. population, will offer prime viewing of the total solar eclipse is that the Sun will be over Lake Erie, slightly north of the city. Consequently, there won’t be buildings or trees to block views. What’s more, because Lake Erie will still be cold, it should create atmospheric conditions that prevent clouds from forming, Cleveland.com notes.
All About The Contest
To enter the Ultimate Cleveland Total Solar Eclipse Giveaway, you’ll first need to play Road Trip to CLE.
Then, to enter for a chance to win, you’ll need to share your score on Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #SolarEclipseCLE before the contest ends on Friday, May 26, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
One grand prize winner will be chosen on or around Monday, June 5, 2023. In addition to the 1-night stay at a Cleveland hotel, they will receive tickets to two Cleveland attractions, a $50 gift card to a downtown Cleveland restaurant, and up to four pairs of solar eclipse glasses.
You can find all the rules and details for the giveaway at the Ultimate Cleveland Total Solar Eclipse Giveaway.
Where Else To See The Eclipse
The totality of the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, will begin over the southern Pacific Ocean before reaching Mexico at Mazatlan. After that, it will travel northeast and enter the U.S. at Texas before moving diagonally across the country up to Maine, and then moving into Canada.
In the U.S., totality will begin in Texas at 1:27 p.m. Central Daylight Time and end in Maine at 3:35 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Great American Eclipse explains.
In between those times, the path of totality will move across parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The path of totality will also enter Canada in southern Ontario, then make its way across parts of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.
The major cities that will be in the path of totality are Mazatlan and Torreon in Mexico, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Montreal.
You can use Great American Eclipse’s Map of Totality to see where and when totality will occur, as well as see what parts of the country will only experience a partial solar eclipse and see when that will occur.
Now that you’re thinking about a road trip, be sure to read all of our Ohio content, including:
