Countdown to solar eclipse is on

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – The countdown is on to a once-in-a-lifetime celestial event in Vermont.

On April 8th, a total solar eclipse will cross the skies here, and plunge Vermont into darkness for a few minutes, just before 3:30 in the afternoon.

The state is preparing for up to 150,000 visitors flocking here to see the total eclispe.

Jack St. Louis, president of the Vermont Astronomical Society, says it’ll be his first total solar eclipse and he’s very excited. “Awe-inspiring, emotional, it’s almost like a religious event. It’s going to be something that otherwise you’ll never ever see in your life and I just can’t wait to see it,” he said.

The last total eclipse visible in Vermont was in 1932 and the next one won’t be until 2079.

And even if the weather isn’t good it’ll still get unusually dark.

A reminder — you can only safely look at the sun when the eclipse is in totality.