DEWAYNE HOLLOWAY | dewayne@mcnews.online
MONTGOMERY COUNTY – While the crowds did not reach the levels predicted, the spectacle of the total solar eclipse did not disappoint those who gathered in Montgomery County to enjoy the clear blue skies over the Ouachita Mountains.
Meteorologists struggled with the forecast last week with overcast skies threatening to spoil our view as late as Friday of last week. However, as the event drew closer the hope of clear skies grew. A quick survey of visitors on the courthouse square in Mount Ida revealed that many of our visitors were here because of poor conditions in other areas along the path. I talked to three different groups from California, two from Los Angeles, and they had all driven up from Texas where they had planned to watch the eclipse. Another of our visitors, a man from Berlin, Germany; had flown in to Houston to watch the eclipse, but stormy skies compelled him to head north to Montgomery County, Arkansas.
While the predictions called for 30,000 or more visitors to Montgomery County, the number was far less. However, the number was still in the thousands. People gathered in city parks, church parking lots, pastures, and along the side of the highways all over the county. Several local residents took to social media to afterward to praise how respectful our guests were Monday with very little litter left to clean up.
The eclipse itself was spectacular with a coronal mass ejection (CME) clearly visible along the southern border of the corona. The CME appeared as a red structure at the bottom of the corona. All six inner planets were visible during the eclipse. Venus shone brightest with Jupiter joining her as a brighter planet. Mercury appeared dimmer, as did Saturn and Mars appeared orange. The planets were lined up along the western sky with the eclipsed sun.
Eclipse watchers were a sea of green and red with many dressed to experience the Purkinje effect during the eclipse. The Purkinje effect is a name given to a phenomenon caused by the sudden darkness that accompanies the eclipse. The sudden dimness causes the human eye to experience greens in a sharper hue while reds appear muted.
Once the eclipse ended the crowds quickly dissipated and life returned to normal in Montgomery County.
Arkansas was one of 13 states to fall in the path of the total eclipse that occurred Monday, April 8, 2024. The eclipse began over the Pacific Ocean west of the Mexican Coast and continued across Mexico into Texas and continued across the United States into the edge of Southeast Canada before moving out to sea.
The next total solar eclipse to be visible over Arkansas will occur August 12, 2045. Scientists predict the longest totality that day at six minutes and four seconds.
