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A solar eclipse viewing party will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. Monday at Washington State College of Ohio.
The event will be led by Dean Hirschi, the college's astronomy expert and instructor, who will explain the celestial event and show participants what to look for and how to safely view the eclipse.
The eclipse, when the moon gets between the earth and sun, will be partial in this region.
At 100 percent totality, or its peak, the sun's corona will be visible.
"We can't normally see the corona because the surface of the sun is so much brighter," Hirschi said. "But during a total solar eclipse, the corona becomes visible for people in the right location, offering a unique opportunity for an incredible experience."
According to NASA, the path of totality will be west of the region toward Indianapolis with the Ohio cities of Cleveland, Lima, Wooster and Mansfield, among others in the path. A map is available at https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/.
The eclipse will be about 96% in the region, Hirschi said.
"We will definitely see a significant change when the eclipse reaches its maximum. If we have a clear day, the sky will turn an abnormally deep shade of blue," Hirschi said. "In many places, animals have reacted as if it were night."
The duration of the eclipse will be up to 4 minutes and 27 seconds, almost double that of The Great American Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017. In the U.S., totality will begin at 1:27 p.m. CDT in Texas and will end in Maine at 3:35 p.m. EDT. In this region, the eclipse will occur from 1:57 p.m. through 4:28 p.m. and reach its maximum at 3:14 p.m.
Contingent on favorable weather conditions, the college will offer spectators two viewing options from the lawn outside of The Commons, the college's student union and cafeteria area. NASA-approved eclipse viewing glasses available and a telescope will be set up for a more up-close experience.
The eclipse also will be broadcast live on the campus 14-foot television screen in The Commons.
Only 21 total solar eclipses have crossed the lower 48 states in the entire existence of the United States. After the April 8 event, the next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous United States will be on Aug. 23, 2044, but not until 2099 in this region.