Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Event/Special

Moments Away: Total Solar Eclipse In Indianapolis; Cleveland, Ohio Now Moments Away From Total Eclipse; Total Solar Eclipse Underway In Niagara Falls; Total Eclipse Now Happening At Vermont's Highest Peak. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired April 08, 2024 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:00]

ADAM FRANK, PROFESSOR OF ASTROPHYSICS, UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER: And watching everybody from Mexico, now it's charting through Texas and onward, it shows there's no red states or blue states. There's no different nations under the shadow of the moon. We're just human beings and we emerged on this planet and we have this capacity to feel wonder and awe. And the eclipse reminds us it's always available to us.

Next month, people should take a drive out to outside a city to see the Milky Way. That's always available to us. So I just have to say, before we go anywhere with the science, I just really needed to say how beautiful this has been. Your coverage has been great. And I've really - I'm getting all but clumped.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Same. Yes, watching those couples passionately kiss, their first kiss as husband and wife. One woman saying that she felt her mom's presence. She had passed away recently and this evoked that feeling for her.

You're so right, Adam. We're going to ask you to stand by for a moment because we want to get to Chad Myers, who's tracking the cloud cover. As it starts to look like it's turning into nighttime here.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: It really is.

SANCHEZ: We're getting closer and closer to totality and you can see it getting darker behind us. Chad, quickly walk us through the forecast and what it looks like elsewhere.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It looks really good unless you get to Upstate New York. I mean, from here where we are now in Arkansas all the way up across Evansville and then to Indianapolis. And I know you're only a few minutes away from totality. But what I want you to notice are the color changes that your eyes are going to see. The camera will not see those color changes, but your red cones will not see the reds anymore as we get darker and darker and darker.

So red things like my tie maroon will turn black and yet my blue shirt will stay blue because it's a different wavelength, a longer wavelength. So that is one of the cool things that we're going on right now. But something else that's going on, it's dark out there. This is a visible satellite of what the satellite is seeing in the cloud cover. No, the clouds didn't go away. They are still very much here, trust me.

But the satellite can't see them visibly anymore. We can only look at them temperature wise. And yes, we have storms firing as we thought. There's already a new tornado watch that was just issued for east of the path of totality. That's some good news. At least we're not over the people that are there. But certainly if you're traveling back home tonight, you want to keep an eye on the weather because this isn't really over down here yet. In fact, just getting started.

Even for Harry - Harry - looked like he was, like, doing the pig pen dance out there in Buffalo because there was clouds and mist and the maid of the mist everywhere. Maybe it's clearing up just a little bit coming in from the west, we'll see. There's a chance. The other chance here is down to the south, too. We are going to see, of course, the severe weather today. So we'll keep an eye on that.

KEILAR: Well, we have beautiful weather here in Indianapolis.

SANCHEZ: Yes, we do.

KEILAR: And it is just so - I think, actually we're listening to some music.

SANCHEZ: (Inaudible) music, yes.

KEILAR: I recognize it from, I believe, "Interstellar." Honestly, I think it's from the movie "Interstellar." I'm pretty sure. And it's feeling that way. It almost has the feeling of when there is smoke from a forest fire.

SANCHEZ: Yes, absolutely.

KEILAR: It is very strange. And honestly, I think the pictures as I see them don't fully do it justice. But there is just this kind of like blue silvery screen effect that we are getting here. And it is amazing. As we are heading, you can see there on the right side of your screen, toward totality, just the crescent of the sun remaining, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Yes, there's only about three minutes before totality. And it looks like there's just a tiny sliver between what's left of the sun being covered by the moon. Something that Adam Frank said, the astronomy professor from Rochester, really stood out to me and that is the fact that this is a common experience, that it's not just certain people that get to experience based on their politics or based on their nationality, but it is a combined human experience.

And I, for one, I'm grateful that I get to be on this earth, in this majestic moment and watch this celestial dance as it plays out before us. It's really a reminder that in the grand scheme of things, we're so small and we're only here for a short blip of time. And we get to enjoy it as one family, literally under the sun and moon.

We want to bring in Kristin Fisher, who's actually with her family right now. Her dad has been trying to witness a total solar eclipse for some time. And look at that, what a wonderful picture.

How does it look from where you are, Kristin?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Boris, I can't believe we're actually here, right? So much time and planning goes into this. For him, this has been something that he's been chasing since 1970, essentially. And now to be just minutes away, I mean, the crowd is - I can't even quite put it into words. I can't remember the last time I was gathered with 50,000 people all just staring up at the sky and marveling about what we're about to witness.

Huge cheers going up as we've got just a little corner of the sun peeking out.

[15:05:03]

Wow. It's now this eerie gray. There is this orchestral music playing that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has put on, absolutely perfect for an eclipse. I've got my six-year-old daughter here, Clara (ph), my mom, who is also a former NASA astronaut - big cheers - and, of course, my dad. My eclipse-hunting father. Dad, we made it.

WILLIAM FREDERICK FISHER, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT AND FATHER OF KRISTIN FISHER: We made it. It's beautiful. The wind picks up, it's cooler and the crowd's starting to get quiet, sort of a hushed reverence of what this spectacle of nature. I was going to howl, but I don't feel like howling. It's just fantastic to watch.

FISHER: I was actually going to say the same thing. If you want to howl, I'll howl with you, but I think the crowd's howling loud enough for us. Wow, it's starting to get really dark now.

W. FISHER: Look at this, yes.

FISHER: He can't help it. Had to get one of those big wolf howls in. We are so close. We are almost at totality. Everybody around me saying, oh my gosh. All right, Boris and Brianna, here we are just seconds away, back to you.

KEILAR: Wow. Wow.

SANCHEZ: Let's take a moment to experience this together. We are at totality in Indianapolis.

KEILAR: Oh, my gosh.

SANCHEZ: Holy shit.

KEILAR: Oh, my god. Wow. You can see those circles.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take a look.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god. KEILAR: You can see those Baily's beads that we were talking about.

The little circles on the outside as the rays from the sun come through the valleys of the moon. That is the effect that they give off and it's amazing. The clarity here is stunning.

SANCHEZ: You hear children reacting, entire families together witnessing this incredible moment. It looks like dusk. You kind of see some faint light in the horizon. It's majestic and it's eerie. It's something you will see nowhere else, according to experts, in the universe.

KEILAR: You can feel the temperature has dipped. It's so strange. It has become night in just the course of a minute. And you feel that settling in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

SANCHEZ: You're seeing that diamond ring effect now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that.

SANCHEZ: I'm not sure from where we are if it's a solar flare. Maybe we need a closer look at a camera.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's unbelievable.

SANCHEZ: You definitely see on the bottom right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look how dark it is.

SANCHEZ: There's something that's popping and it looks like it could be a solar flare. We were told to look out for those by experts. Of course, on our screen it looks tiny. In reality, it is enormous. It's miles and miles long, popping out of the sun.

KEILAR: There are solar flares that are visible, as we can see there. It's almost one that we've been seeing repeatedly, which just speaks to how long they last and what was so much excitement here has now turned into this hush, as people are just enjoying this moment.

SANCHEZ: This moment of almost stillness. You hear folks connecting with each other, absorbing this majestic moment.

[15:10:04]

Let's go back to Kristin Fisher, who's on the racetrack here at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Kristin, give us your vantage point.

FISHER: Hey, Boris. Well - I mean, they've just started playing classical music now. People wildly cheering. And there it is, the diamond ring that you hear so much about. Wow, our totality is over, but god, was it glorious. Dad, what did you think? W. FISHER: Amazing. I have no words. It was much more dramatic than I

thought it would be. It happened much faster. And it's such an amazing experience.

FISHER: I'm bummed it's already over.

Mom, what did you think about it? First time seeing a total solar?

ANNA LEE FISHER, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT AND MOTHER OF KRISTIN FISHER: I'm crying. It brings tears to your eyes.

FISHER: It really does.

A FISHER: Yes, beautiful.

FISHER: She's got tears in her eyes.

Clara, what did you think, your first total solar?

CLARA: Well, I thought it was very pretty. But I didn't see any nocturnal animals.

FISHER: No nocturnal animals, very upset about that, huh?

CLARA: Yes.

A FISHER: Too many people around for nocturnal animals here.

CLARA: Well, I got to go to bed. I'll leave mom.

FISHER: So, for folks that don't know, both my mom and dad were space shuttle astronauts. They went into space on the - in the 1980s. And for both of you, I have to ask, you've seen a sight that so few people have seen. You've been to space. How does a total solar eclipse compare to the view of the earth from space, dad?

W. FISHER: It's just as beautiful. It's just as beautiful. It's so striking. I've seen pictures of it, but it's different when you see the real thing.

FISHER: Well, you can - I just can't get over how you really can feel it. And wow, it's now definitely starting to become so much more daylight.

A. FISHER: And so fast. It just - I know you know it, but it's just mind-boggling. The earth and a solar eclipse, you can't compare them. They're both amazingly beautiful.

FISHER: Well, Boris and Brianna, it has been such a treat to get to witness this with 50,000 people, too, because you can really get a sense for just the power of the moment when you're surrounded by all these oohs and aahs and what everybody else is saying.

W. FISHER: It got dark.

A. FISHER: Yes. W. FISHER: It got dark so quickly. All of a sudden, it was black out

there. It was great.

FISHER: Yeah. And my dad and I had always talked about watching a total solar eclipse in nature. But to be here at the Indy Motor Speedway, the largest event in the world, it's been pretty cool. Back to you guys.

KEILAR: Yes. Glad your mom was crying, actually, because I had comfort in the company, I will tell you. And this is all happening very quickly.

Let's go to Miguel Marquez, who is less than a minute in Cleveland before the totality happens there. Miguel, set the scene for us.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is absolutely stunning. That light that you were describing, that gray light, that's where we are right now. It's gotten much, much cooler here. The crowd keeps sort of erupting into applause. We just have a tiny sliver of the sun right now.

I'm here with Kelly Korreck. Say hello.

KELLY KORRECK, NASA PROGRAM MANAGER: Hello.

MARQUEZ: You can keep your glasses on and watch.

KORRECK: Okay.

MARQUEZ: This is her - this will be your fourth eclipse, is that right?

KORRECK: Third eclipse.

MARQUEZ: Third eclipse.

KORRECK: Yes.

MARQUEZ: Third total eclipse at one annular. You are the lead astrophysicist for NASA. You were jumping up and down when you saw the diamond ring earlier. What is it like to see this?

KORRECK: It's amazing to see this happen again. It never gets old. No matter how many times you see it, it's just understanding that that's just the last bits of light that are coming through the moon's valleys towards us from the sun. It's so exciting because we know we're going to get a show right after that.

MARQUEZ: And I know you guys are studying this. We saw those bits, those pink bits coming off of the sun earlier. They look tiny, but those are thousands of kilometers long.

KORRECK: Exactly.

MARQUEZ: Oh, my God.

KORRECK: Yes, thousands - oh, my gosh.

MARQUEZ: What are we seeing here? Oh, my god, it's gorgeous.

KORRECK: Oh, we're going towards the end. It's the last bit of the diamond ring. We're going towards Baily's Beads.

MARQUEZ: Oh, my god.

KORRECK: It's just amazing. The clouds are actually making it beautiful. You see beautiful streamers coming out, the solar wind.

MARQUEZ: I have chills.

KORRECK: I know. I'm about to cry. And you see stars in the background. If you come over here, those stars are planets.

MARQUEZ: Oh, yes.

KORRECK: Back - that's how dark it is. That's the horizon. It's twilight.

MARQUEZ: So with my naked eye now, I can now take off the glasses.

KORRECK: Right, you can take off the glasses.

MARQUEZ: We can all take off the glasses.

KORRECK: Yep.

MARQUEZ: And I can see those - it looks like pink bits around.

KORRECK: Right, filaments. Just parts of ...

MARQUEZ: What exactly are those?

KORRECK: Those are really hot parts of the sun that are actually the basis of coronal mass ejections where billions of tons of material that can actually come off the sun and create space weather for us here on Earth.

[15:15:06]

Things that affect our satellites. They can affect our GPS. They can affect our power grid. So we really want to understand those and when the sun is going to do those things.

MARQUEZ: And what is it? I take it every eclipse you've been to, it has been a mass of people. What is it about people wanting to come together to share this experience?

KORRECK: Because this is the only place we know of in the universe that we happen to have this happen where our moon perfectly covers the disk of the sun and we're able to see its hot corona that's normally hidden from us. So I think this is just a universal experience in understanding how much we all belong and we're all one on this little planet going around a star. The pink just keeps coming out back down there.

MARQUEZ: I was just going to say the pink on that bottom left-hand side is just stunning.

KORRECK: Yes, it is. It's just this very bright visible piece that's coming off of the sun, that's protruding from the sun and it's just breathtaking.

MARQUEZ: And this is what you, your colleagues, sending all this gear up there. This is what you want to study. What will this tell you?

KORRECK: This will tell us more about all of that stuff that's coming off. All you see the streaks coming off. We want to know how that comes at us towards space weather and how we're going to be able to better do this for our home planet as well as we go on to Artemis and being on the moon and then eventually to Mars.

So this really - gives us a better sense of where we are in the solar system.

MARQUEZ: This is real science. They're studying animals, they're studying plants right now, but this is real science about how this affects life on Earth and our exploration of the heavens.

KORRECK: Definitely. This is why this is such a rich experience. It's just beautiful, breathtaking. There's so much to just feel. But then at the same time, this is also so much science that gives us so much insight to who we are as humans and where we are in the universe and all about science.

MARQUEZ: This is stunning. Jake (sp?), if you would just look at the sunset - there's a sunset, a 360-degree sort of sunset around us right now. It is absolutely stunning. Everybody looking at the sky. It is hard to imagine that this is our planet.

I mean, this is a shadow at the end of the day.

KORRECK: Right.

MARQUEZ: This is a shadow. And it seems to put us into perspective, in our place in this universe.

KORRECK: Exactly. It's so special. It's just - such a special experience just to celebrate it. And, again, planets showing and - ah, yes, and more of - just watching all the different structures that we'll see. And we'll have that data for years and years to come to study and to learn more about it from the solar eclipse and hopefully to last us until the one in 2044.

MARQUEZ: And the next one here in Cleveland, 2444, 420 years. My goodness, that's going to be a long - I'm going to be an old man by then.

KORRECK: Yes.

MARQUEZ: So we're going to see this thing Diamond Ring, I take it, in a second. We're going to see the end of this.

KORRECK: Yes. Yes, we're doing to - and we're going to take the glasses back on, yes. We'll see the end of this and it's always a little sad, but I think we'll figure out when the next one is and find it.

MARQUEZ: How do you feel?

KORRECK: I just - so amazing and so much like there's just a sense of belonging to a bigger thing in the universe. Yes. Oh, the diamond ring.

MARQUEZ: This is otherworldly. I'm going to send it back to you guys. It just finished up here. We have a massive diamond ring ...

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

MARQUEZ: ... above Cleveland right now. And whether you study this ...

SANCHEZ: Amazing. Thank you so much, Miguel. We want to get straight to Harry Enten, who is watching the total solar eclipse at Niagara Falls. Harry, 10 seconds from totality.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: I mean, let me tell you, I feel like I'm in a dark comedy right now because the clouds are covering us. But the fact is, it is so dark and these dark - the darkness is taking over the sky. And more than that, as I'm looking at the folks, there are clouds getting in the way of what is a true event here.

Look at all these folks. They're all looking up at that sky, extremely excited. And I got to admit, the temperature has dropped about 10-, 15 degrees. It is freezing. But you know what? It is so cool to be here right now, despite the fact that the clouds are out. It's total darkness. I feel like I'm in a movie of some sort.

I - I'm a meteorology guy and this to me is just something I don't think I have ever seen. Honestly, it's one of the true signs (inaudible) that this is it, because we are so small right now. This is (inaudible) nothing in a crowd of (inaudible), that's all I can really say.

KEILAR: All right. We're going to - Harry, we're going to have you get back towards your signal because you're breaking up there in Niagara Falls. So get back towards your signal and then chime back in as we witness this totality in Niagara Falls. And what we're seeing is they have the cloud cover. But what it means is that because they don't have their horizon that they actually have more darkness.

[15:20:03]

SANCHEZ: Right.

KEILAR: And it gives a really amazing view and - plus, Niagara Falls is just beautiful. It's a really stunning scene there to have this nighttime in the middle of the day for a few minutes there. SANCHEZ: Yes. As Harry said, it's like something out of a film. And we

are getting some of the best vantage points of the earthquake - or the earthquake - what am I saying? The solar eclipse.

KEILAR: Too much news lately.

SANCHEZ: It's the earthquake from last week that's still stuck in my head in the northeast. But we do have a beautiful view of the eclipse from Stowe, Vermont. Derek Van Dam has been there for us. This is the top of a mountainside, a snowy mountainside. We're going to head over there live in just a few minutes.

But we're going to stay with this because the view over Niagara Falls, even though you can't see the actual sun and moon from there, just the surroundings, as Harry was pointing out, are eerie.

KEILAR: Yes, it's - and Niagara Falls is just a beautiful place. He's there on the New York side of it. The backdrop is just phenomenal. So I think - and I will tell you, witnessing it here in Indianapolis to see the sun's corona, to see the atmosphere of the sun, it is pretty cool. I'm not going to lie. I'm sorry, Niagara Falls, you weren't seeing that. But just - Harry, I think it just being nighttime in the middle of the day is a phenomenon in itself.

ENTEN: That's exactly right. The fact is, although I can't see the moon covering the sun, the fact that we have - I mean, listen to this crowd. I mean, that is pure excitement. There's nothing better than this. I mean, come on. This is unbelievable.

We - in western New York are not going to allow a few clouds getting in the way of an event of a lifetime. That's the fact of the matter. We lose in football, but we come back the next season. We lose the sun because of the clouds, but that is not going to get in the way of us having a fantastic time.

I always thought that I was so into snow, and that was the biggest weather event that I could possibly have. And I was almost joking about those people who chased the solar eclipses. What are they doing? Now I understand what they're doing. Because - I mean, unbelievable. Unbelievable, that's the only word. Unreal.

Look at these folks. And then the sun slowly but surely is no longer shielded by the moon, and the light is coming back. But for those few moments, those few moments, we felt something truly miraculous.

And there it is. And now it's over. But for that brief moment in time, we felt something that very few of us will get a chance to ever see again. We haven't had an eclipse in Niagara Falls in 99 years. We're not going to have one - another one, for another about 120 years. And I'm just so grateful that my job allowed me to come out here and experience this, because there are very few people who are as lucky as I am to be able to witness an event such as this. I just don't even know what else to say.

You know I'm a man of many words, but in a moment like this, I can only help but be a man of very few words, guys. SANCHEZ: It is something amazing to experience, as we just did here in

Indy. So, Harry, we totally relate to that sentiment. I don't think that Buffalo Bills construction worker could be so poetic. That was incredible, Harry.

And as you saw there, one of our producers pointed out, in the midst of Niagara Falls, we'd been talking to Ed Lavandera, who's watching closely the animals at the Dallas Zoo and how wild they were going. There was - there were birds that were going ...

KEILAR: Crazy in the mist.

SANCHEZ: ... in the mist, yeah.

KEILAR: It was so wild and clear - the animals have delivered, I will say. They have delivered during this eclipse and it's a good one. I think it's such a dramatic eclipse, and that's may be why they're responding to it. But we've seen everything today. We've seen a mass wedding. We just saw a conversion, I think, with Harry there.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Yes. Yes.

KEILAR: He was saying, I don't know about these people with solar eclipses and now he gets it.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

KEILAR: I have to say, I fully understand what he means.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, the full spectrum of joy and marveling at this beautiful moment.

[15:25:02]

We want to marvel at another beautiful moment with Derek Van Dam because the path of totality is now hitting Stowe, Vermont. The top of a mountain where Derek is, only about a minute, 20 away from totality there, Derek.

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, Boris, I got to take glasses to see. It feels like I'm still wearing sunglasses right now. Darkness has transcended on this spot, but we are still under the impacts of that direct sunlight from the sun, right now, every second, it is releasing enough energy from the sun that could power all of humanity for an entire year. So it is not time to take off your solar eclipse goggles just yet. That has to be in complete totality.

The crowd here is obviously peering up into the skies. They've got their cell phones out. You can see some hooting and hollering. We all hear it. I'm going to put my glasses back on and talk you through what I am seeing. And what we cannot wait for is that moment when the shadow of the moon races across the planet, across the valley to my right here at 1,500 miles an hour. That is going to be phenomenal.

Here it is. You can hear the incredible sounds here from the spectators, the umbraphiles, listen in. Moments before totality and I want to explain to you another rare

occurrence that is happening right before our eyes. We've witnessed this. There is cirrus clouds, which are ice crystals in the sky, and you can see a circle that forms around the sun. The solar eclipse has a parhelic arc. There it is, scattering the light around the sun. I'm expecting that to completely disappear as we go under complete darkness and complete totality.

I'm seeing right now, this is incredible, the diamond ring effect. This is what we all wait for, that moment for the moon to cross in front of the sun. Listen. Yes. There it is. Yes. Listen to this crowd. Look at the stars that have popped up. Look for the planets. Venus will be to the west. There is a comet that is visible to the naked eye. This is just incredible to see.

Right now, we are in a solar maximum. It is an 11-year cycle. Look at the fellow umbraphiles. We are seeing a moment that is just transcending this actual experience. I mean, we are watching Baily's beads. That is around the corona, that is the sun's atmosphere that is interacting with the valleys and the mountains, the troughs and the peaks of the mountainous terrain.

What are you feeling right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to cry. We're going to cry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) moment of epic ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Epic.

VAN DAM: I don't even know how to encapsulate this moment. You can see the darkness and everybody just pulling out their phones. Some people just taking in the experience. It is safe to look at this moment. But, Bob, my cameraman, if you could just tune in on this because what we're looking at right now is full totality in the Baily's beads before this 2 minutes and 38 seconds of full totality disappears. We're going to see yet on the other side another diamond ring effect. That is the first rays of sun. That is the exact moment when we need to put back on our glasses.

We are still under complete darkness. Check this out, the gondola here at the highest point in Vermont, one of the highest points in all of New England, under complete darkness. And once we start to see that first diamond ring effect on the other side of the sun, that's when we put back our glasses because that is going to start emitting that sun's rays and it is no longer safe to look at the total solar eclipse.

Listen to this crowd.

Right now, what we are witnessing is the autumn version of the stars, the planets and the constellations.

[15:30:03]

Right now, it is out of phase by 6 months.