On Monday, April 8, 2024, Philadelphia will experience a partial solar eclipse reaching over 90 percent totality. 

This will mark the greatest solar coverage the region has seen since Memorial Day weekend in 1984 when coverage was at 95 percent. 

Deborah Skapik, an adjunct professor of physics at Saint Joseph’s University has been studying eclipses for decades. 

She is a NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassador, as well as a SEAL Solar Eclipse Expert.

Skapik earned her Master of Science degree in Astronomy at the University of Hawaii in 1994.

After graduating, she worked under Jay Pasachoff, an astronomer at Williams College, who pursued eclipses across the globe, seeing a record 36 total eclipses in his lifetime.

Skapik herself has also traveled globally to witness eclipses. She also published the book, “Look UP, Below! An educator’s guide to the April 8, 2024 total eclipse of the Sun.”

In a word, next month’s eclipse “is going to be spectacular,” said Skapik.

“The sky will suddenly darken and you will be able to see stars and planets like it is nighttime. I hope everyone can truly appreciate April 8, because the contiguous U.S. will not see another total solar eclipse until 2044,” she added

As an expert, Skapik will be available for TV, radio, and print interviews in the lead-up to the solar eclipse.

Read more about the upcoming solar eclipse and why it is so significant on the NASA website.

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