Young solar enthusiast's spirits are sky-high as he awaits eclipse

A young Windsor, Ont., solar system enthusiast doubts anyone is more excited than he is for next week's eclipse.

Ashton Mantha, 11, eagerly awaits the solar event and has convinced his parents to drive him to nearby Leamington to view it.

The southwestern town, along the shores of Lake Erie, will have some of the best eclipse-viewing conditions in the region and will experience one to two minutes of totality, in which the moon blocks all light from the sun.

Mantha spoke with CBCRadio's Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge about his love for space and his eclipse plans. Here is part of their conversation.

When did you first become interested in the solar system?

I was one time just laying in my room, and my dad walked in and he asked "Have you ever thought about space?" And then it really just kicked it off.

I thought about how, like, humans went to the moon and all this stuff. It's awesome.

That reminds me of my father. We were laying in the backyard on the ground looking at the stars, and he said the same thing, "Have you ever thought about life beyond us and something bigger and greater?" Was that something like the conversation you had?

It basically started with us talking about NASA and the moon and all this stuff. And it's just amazing, honestly, to see and think about how infinite space is, because there's never just a wall. It has to be beyond the wall. There's always something.

Did you have favourite solar system books when you were younger?

I did, yes. I have one, I believe, about the moon and the dark side of the moon. It's about moon rocks and how some of them have crashed on Earth. I actually found a meteor once.

No way! Where did you find a meteor?

We were walking by the train station and on the rocks there, we just found one. There's metal on it, so we knew it was a meteor.

I'm looking most forward to those two minutes in the totality where it's just completely black. It's like nighttime ... with no moon or sun.- Ashton Mantha, young solar enthusiast

Have you experienced a sky phenomenon before this eclipse?

I did see a partial eclipse. It was 2017, I believe. I was at my mom's house, and she was like, "Hey, there's an eclipse happening later if you want to go see it."

So we went outside, we put our glasses on, and that was just one of the best moments ever, seeing some of the sun just gone. Especially as a young kid it has an impression on you.

LISTEN |Young solar system enthusiast's excitement soars as eclipse draws near:

Windsor Morning7:42Young solar system enthusiast's excitement soars as eclipse draws near

A young solar system enthusiast is negotiating with his parents to see the solar eclipse in Leamington next Monday. Has he successfully swayed them to take a day off work and drive out to the county? 11-year-old Ashton Mantha joined Windsor Morning Host Amy Dodge in the studio.

What kind of impression, what were you thinking at that time?

I was thinking, is the sun being eaten? And then [it was explained that] the moon just goes in front of the sun, and I was like, that's pretty cool.

And it's going to happen again. How are you going to go see it?

We're going to be driving to Leamington after school. I have my eclipse glasses, and we're going to be ready to go.

What are you looking most forward to?

I'm looking most forward to those two minutes in the totality where it's just completely black and you're safe to take off your glasses. All the cicadas and all the birds just stop tweeting, so it's like nighttime, basically, just with no moon or sun.

WATCH | How to safely watch the solar eclipse in Windsor-Essex:

How to safely watch the total solar eclipse in Windsor-Essex

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Tom Sobocan, public relations director for the Royal Astronomical Society's Windsor group, explains where and how to watch the eclipse on April 8.

How much research are you doing on this eclipse?

I've read three articles so far. [Watched] two videos. It's just I've been doing all the research I can.

By the way, if you want to go see the full total eclipse, the best shot you got is in Leamington. But if you really are dedicated and you don't want to see clouds, apparently you're supposed to go to Mexico.

Is that in your budget?

No, I think I'm just going to go to Leamington. That sounds a bit easier than flying to Mexico.

Is your family as excited as you are?

Well, that's going to be a hard battle to face because I'm really excited about this. My dad is excited. A lot of people are excited. It's just, I don't know if they can out-excite me.