Former NASA astronaut says seeing a solar eclipse gives 'cosmic perspective' on life

DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF) — The solar eclipse is less than two weeks away! Cities that are in the path of totality have been preparing for months, and people who are still skeptical about whether it is worth changing their schedule to see it might want to think again.

The solar eclipse will be seen by many only once in a lifetime. Former NASA Astronaut and United States Air Force Pilot Terry Virts said another one will not be seen in the United States for 20 years. It will be 2099 when another one will be visible from this area, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Virts said even if the weather is not ideal it is still worth making a plan to see it.

Even if it's cloudy, it's still gonna go from day to night. It's still going to be an amazing experience," said Virts.

People travel all over the world to see natural phenomena like the one coming to parts of Ohio on April 8.

Not many people can say they have seen a solar eclipse from space, but Virts can. He was on the space station in 2015, and he did not expect to see it.

"There was an eclipse over the North Atlantic, so a place where most people don't see it unless you're on a boat in the middle of the ocean," said Virts. "We weren't sure if we could see it and as we passed by, we looked off in the distance and there was this giant dark spot you know, you could see the moon's shadow on Earth. It was really surreal. I had never seen anything like it."

He also saw an eclipse in 2017 that went through Oregon. He explained which experience was better.

I mean, being in space was really unique to see the shadow on our planet. That was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but to see it from Earth was, it was almost a spiritual experience. You know, daytime turns into nighttime. Animals got really quiet," said Virts. "The people started making noise, and it surprised and shocked me more than I realized.

Another reason to check it out is that you will be able to see even more than the moon moving in front of the sun.

"When the eclipse happens, you'll be able to see Venus and Jupiter, which is amazing. You'll be able to see the planets in the middle of the day. There's a comet called 12-P, it'll be right next to Jupiter. You'll probably need binoculars to see that because it's a little bit dim," said Virts.

The event might make you think about life differently, even if you are not typically interested in space.

"I call it a 'cosmic perspective.' When you see this happening, it takes you out of your daily mundane life, and you realize that we're on this spaceship Earth as it's going around the galaxy and there's other planets and moons going around us in the solar system," said Virts. "It's just a celestial event and it kinda gives us that 'cosmic perspective' that there's a lot more happening in the universe than just our daily grind here on Earth."

How long will the solar eclipse last April 8 and where is totality across the US? Click here to find out.