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Their first solar eclipse

Patrick Center

The great American solar eclipse has come and gone. It was a rare astronomical event and one that I  shared with my daughters. With solar eclipse glasses protecting their young eyes, this was their first solar eclipse experience captured in this audio diary. 

“Norah, what do you see?”

“It looks like a moon.”

“Whoa!” Shrieked her sister, Sienna, “It’s a moon! It’s the moon!”

I had to explain it’s the moon passing in front of the sun. Also, reminding the girls to keep the solar eclipse glasses covering their eyes.

“That’s cool,” she said with excitement.

I asked Norah what she was staring at? “A moon.” This dad needed a little more description. “What’s the moon doing?” “Um, it’s just standing there…it’s getting smaller.”

I turned to Sienna to find out what was her favorite part of our eclipse encounter?

“Seeing the moon in the middle of the day, that was really cool. That was the best part. And I like your tie because it has a sun, and stars and a moon.”

I wanted to make sure we’d do this again together pointing out, “We’ll do this again in what year? 2024? When you’re 14, do you want to do it then?”

Sienna, excited to be older let me know, “I’ll be 14 when this happens again and Norah will be 12.”

From now until April 8th, 2024 we’ll remember this eclipse and continue to repeat the words we shared when it was over, “I love you.”

Patrick joined WGVU Public Media in December, 2008 after eight years of investigative reporting at Grand Rapids' WOOD-TV8 and three years at WYTV News Channel 33 in Youngstown, Ohio. As News and Public Affairs Director, Patrick manages our daily radio news operation and public interest television programming. An award-winning reporter, Patrick has won multiple Michigan Associated Press Best Reporter/Anchor awards and is a three-time Academy of Television Arts & Sciences EMMY Award winner with 14 nominations.