MOUNDSVILLE — When the skies darken on April 8, Ohio Valley residents can witness the once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse from a premiere viewing spot in Moundsville.

To see a clear view of the eclipse without any obstruction from mountains or hills, residents can head to Grand Vue Park. WVTourism has named the location one of the top five scenic spots in the state to witness the phenomenon.

To commemorate the event, The Near Earth Object Foundation and Grand Vue Park in Moundsville are hosting a Solar Eclipse Watch Party in collaboration with the SMART Center. The free watch party will be held at Grand Vue Park Shelters 3,4 and 5, from 2 to 4:30 pm.

The moon will start to cover the sun beginning at around 2 p.m. in the Ohio Valley. The maximum coverage residents can witness will occur from 3:16 to 3:17 p.m. when only a sliver of the sun will be visible past the moon. The moon will then inch off the sun until the sun is fully visible again at 4:30 p.m.

While West Virginia will not be a state where one can see the eclipse at totality, which is when the moon completely covers the sun, to witness the event at a 96.5% magnitude view is still a rare opportunity. The next eclipse West Virginia residents can see will not occur until Sept. 2099.

On top of providing a clear spot to view the eclipse, the Grand Vue Watch party will include interactive stations and educational activities. SMART Center Owner Robert Strong is using the event to educate attendees about eclipses and eliminate misconceptions.

“An eclipse is a real simple thing, it’s not the end of the world, and nothing drastic is going to happen,” said Strong. “It’s not a lucky or unlucky day. It’s just a day where everything lines up.”

Strong noted that excitement for the event can often eclipse safety. The main way viewers can harm themselves during an eclipse is by staring directly at the sun with uncovered eyes.

Strong explained that reflexes that normally prevent someone from looking directly at the sun such as blinking, squinting and turning one’s head are not triggered during an eclipse. This could cause someone to stare directly at the sun during the few minutes of an eclipse when the glare from the sun is not as strong.

“Even if you feel like you do not need to blink or look away while viewing the eclipse, you’re still getting the same eye damage you would by looking directly at the sun,” noted Strong.

The ultraviolet light from the sun when viewed for more than a fraction of a second will “cook the retinas,” described Strong. These “cooked” retina cells will be permanently damaged.

“We can transplant hearts, kidneys, all kinds of things, but we can’t transplant working eyes yet,” said Strong. “Avoiding looking directly at the sun is one of those things where we need to be really, really careful of during the eclipse but that doesn’t mean you still can’t appreciate it.”

Strong listed off “wacky ideas” he has heard as ways to view the eclipse that should not be employed on April 8. These dangerous eclipse-viewing methods include looking at the eclipse through a hole poked in aluminum foil, viewing the event mirrored on one’s cell phone screen and looking at the eclipse reflected in a bucket of water.

“These are all bad, and they will all end up giving you a great potential to become permanently visually handicapped for the rest of your life,” said Strong. “It’s not even worth it.”

One method to view the eclipse safely is by using glasses that block ultraviolet rays. Strong added to ensure these glasses are “certified eclipse glasses,” as fake eclipse glasses do not have these light-blocking properties.

One way to verify whether eclipse glasses are real is by holding them up to a light and looking through them. If the light is extremely dim or does not appear, the eclipse glasses are safe to use.

Another way to view the eclipse is through pinhole projection.

This is performed by taking any object with a hole or holes and putting it close to a plain white surface with the sun shining through the object from above. One can then see the eclipse filtered through the holes of the object onto the surface.

“For pinhole projection, you’re not looking through the holes of a colander or salt shaker lid at the sun,” emphasized Strong. “You’re instead seeing the sun through the holes of the object reflected onto a piece of paper, for example.”

One of Strong’s favorite eclipse-centered activities that Grand Vue Park visitors will be able to try out on April 8 involves a form of pinhole projection. At the event, a sheet will be anchored to the ground with the shadows of tree leaves cast onto its surface.

During the eclipse, the holes in the shadow of the tree canopy cast onto the sheet will take the shape of the eclipse.

“The dappled sunlight coming through the leaves will make the same effect as putting a colander up to the sheet,” described Strong. “When you walk by the sheet and the breeze blows, you’ll see just hundreds of these mini solar eclipses shimmering on it.”

The SMART Center will also bring a telescope with a special solar filter on it. A camera attached to the telescope will broadcast the event onto a computer screen for attendees to get a close-up view.

Strong pointed out that eclipse viewers should keep an eye and ear out for other phenomena the eclipse will cause.

Due to the sky darkening when the moon covers the sun, Venus and Jupiter will be visible during the daytime for a few minutes of the eclipse.

Strong added that birds may stop singing and insects may start chirping as they believe night has come.

There will also be a noticeable difference in the wind and temperature, noted Strong, as wind is caused by pressure from the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun.

Since there will not be as much direct sunlight cast onto the ground during the eclipse “things will cool down just a little bit,” described Strong. During this cooldown, wind speeds may drop, and the wind may switch directions.

As the sun’s light is decreased to a sliver by the moon, one’s shadow will also become “clearer and crisper,” described Strong.

“We’re used to a symmetrical sun, making a symmetrical-looking shadow,” described Strong. “The umbra is the darkest part of the shadow of an eclipse, and then there’s a little fuzzy outline called the penumbra. During the eclipse, we’ll have a thin penumbra so our shadows will look crisper.”

Strong encourages residents to visit Grand Vue Park to view the eclipse and participate in other educational activities surrounding the event. He explained the location is a good spot to view the event as the park is high, so there will be no hills for the sun to disappear behind during the event. He added that the shelter will also provide cover in inclement weather.

“You can view the eclipse from your backyard, but if you have no idea whether your view may be obstructed from home, you can come to Grand Vue,” said Strong. “We’ll have plenty of solar eclipse shades and multiple education stations. It’ll be a fun, neat opportunity to go outside and see something that only happens one-millionth of the time.”

For anyone who wants to get their eclipse-fix before the big day, the SMART Center will host an educational program at the Ohio County Library on April 4 from 6 to 7 p.m.