A local lawyer has planned to see his fourth total eclipse by flying in a jet high above Middle Tennessee.
Mark Manner, age 65, knows a lot about total solar eclipses.
As a kid, Manner looked through telescopes with his dad but didn’t start getting into astronomy until high school.
Growing up, he read books about science and space and filmed the universe. Throughout his adult-life, Manner has helped set up observatories in Middle Tennessee and other states.
PHOTOS: Local Lawyer Plans To Watch Eclipse In Jet
He said he remembers reading about the 2017's total solar eclipse in 1979 and wondered if he'd be alive to watch it.
When his friend asked him how he plans to watch Monday's eclipse, he suggested up in his friend's jet.
He was slightly worried if the weather would be too cloudy.
"We're going to fly up above the clouds if there are any and position ourselves so the shadow of the moon will overtake us and we'll go as fast as we can in the path of the shadow. So we'll have about 3 and 1/2 minutes of totality. We'll be able to see the shadow come in over the ground very clearly," Manner said.
Manner has seen three total solar eclipses since 1979 -- in Canada, Hawaii, and Aruba.
"It's a woman who said, 'Comparing a partial eclipse to a total is like comparing kissing a man and marrying a man,'" he smiled.
"Everybody is saying this thing is over-hyped. 'What's the big deal, the sky gets dark and no big deal' until you see one, you just can't explain it," he said.
Manner suggests looking at the total solar eclipse with your naked eye only when it's total, otherwise use proper eclipse glasses.
He also mentioned you should enjoy the moment. Don't bother taking videos or pictures; there will be plenty of those later.
