2024 Total Eclipse Event?
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I had a similar impulse for the 2017 eclipse, but after looking into it further, it is quite a challenge to pull off. First is solar position. There are various solar position calculators available online. I have not yet done the research for 2024 yet, but for 2017, the sun was just way too high in the sky to get good pictures of a coaster and the eclipse. Even if a great shot can be found, the next limitation is time. Three and a half minutes is not much. You are going to get one coaster picture setup, perhaps two if you absolutely haul across the park. And honestly, it is time that is better spent taking in the moment. I made it into totality for the 2017 eclipse, and I will tell everyone "accept no substitutes!" A total eclipse is mind-blowingly cool, but you have to be in 100% eclipse. 99.5% is not the same. 99.5% is a astronomical curiosity. At 100%... just WOW!. I live an hour outside of where totality was. Its two plus minutes was well worth the 4 hour traffic jam to get home.
The next limitation is weather. Let's face it. The weather in April in Ohio sucks. Even though I am planning on being there to be with family, already I am girding myself against disappointment. Even a single cloud can ruin an eclipse, and I am imagining rain or even snow. To schedule an event is a huge gamble. Though I'll take this opportunity to predict the new ride for 2024 will be named <something> Eclipse. B-)
The way this weather keeps getting warmer, they just might start opening earlier.
Thabto -
The issue isn't just weather, staffing is a big part of it. Most are college students. It would be hard to staff the park if they opened sooner.