Businesses across the United States right now are
betting on a rare celestial event to boost their
revenue. Scripps news'. Chris Conti explains why a
total solar eclipse is drawing large crowds. 13 US
states are in the path of totality for the 2024 clips.
And if it's anything like what we saw in 2017
communities small and large are about to see a big
economic boost. Sunshine in the mountains of Vermont
can often be hard to come by. But while most states low
hanging clouds are a mere inconvenience, there is on
day coming soon and around here they need the sun to
truly shine. Have you experienc an eclipse I have but
I don't think I've ever been in the path of totality.
Jennifer Green is a lifelong Vermont resident who
serves as the marketing manager for Stowe. Vermont is
home to 5000 year round residents and come April 8 of
next year. We will be in the path of totality for the
2024 total solar eclipse. Could this be maybe the
biggest tourism event that you guys have It could be
like many other communities nationwide. The pop
of this town is expected to swell as people from all
over the world flock here to experience the eclipse'
totality blocked by the moon. The sun will go dark for
two minutes and 48 seconds. Hotels and airbnbs are
already nearing capacity. We have a couple of
properties that might already be fully booked and some
who are around half booked. So in any messaging that
we're putting out and when talking to people, it's book
early book as soon as you can. That's sort of been our
messaging since day one. The eclipse is expected to
generate millions in tourism dollars nationwide. Her
in stow, the sun's disappearance comes at a perfec
time right at the end of ski season, something like
this eclipse is going to probably be a really nice
little bump in money coming in for us. It's definitely
coming at a time of year where we don't always see huge
numbers back up plans to my backup plans to uh to be
able to get to where the sky is clear. That's Brian dr,
a professional nighttime photographer who admittedly is
still riding the high of seeing the 2017 solar eclipse.
These are just some of the images he captured back the
It's indescribable. It's an event that will leave you
speechless and very few things in your life will do
that. Dr says part of the draw for the eclipse is that
so many Americans live in cities and towns with a lot
of light pollution. So this eclipse serves as a
monumental solar event that's accessible to anyone in
its path. If you get into that zone of totality, tha
where the magic happens in 2017, more than 20 million
people traveled to see the eclipse for the 2024 total
solar eclipse. An estimated 32 people in the United
States already live in the path of the eclipse. Cities
like Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Buffalo will
all experience totality. You really have to be careful
about looking at this very, especially if you use any
optics at all. If you use a camera binoculars or a
telescope that magnifies the amount of light that is
going to go to your eye. And while the eclipse is nine
months away, the time to prepare is actually right now
and this fits right on the front over the lens of your
telescope or any device you're going to use. That's
what Jack ST Louis from the Vermont Astronomical
Society says easier to just put them on your eyes, get
those solar safety glasses and camera filters before
they're in short supply. What makes the eclipse so
special Unless you travel to go find them. It's a once
in a lifetime thing. If you get the chance to see it,
there is another layer to all of this. It's about space.
So I'm very much interested in the physiology of space
flight and Jay Bucky will be watching the eclipse from
New Hampshire with a unique perspective. What was it
like being up there Oh, well, it's, it's, it's an
amazing experience to look out the window and realize
where you are. Jay is a retired astronaut who in 1998
spent 16 days in space. So he has a certain
appreciation for the moon, the sun and the earth and
hopes this eclipse is the catalyst that could draw in
the next generation of space scientists for kids in
particular, just to have exposure to all these
different things and to let their imagination run and
then they're going to be our future explorer. At the
end of the day, the sun's grant disappearing act wi
simply come down to a lot of luck and whether the
clouds will in fact cooperate so that we can all watch
as the moon, at least for a moment. Outshines the sun
Chris Conte scripts, news Stowe Vermont.