Abstract

I am a part of my school’s newspaper club and I volunteered to write about the eclipse and my experience. This is the article I wrote. My high school was outside of the path of totality so I wanted to share my observations from when I traveled to the path of totality. In the article I included photos I took with my cell phone and a 6 inch Dobsonian Telescope that I received when participating in the Rising Stars Internship at the Dudley Observatory at Siena College- where I also made a solar filter for my telescope.

On April 8, 2024, New York State experienced its first total solar eclipse in almost 100 years! The last total solar eclipse seen in New York was in 1925. This was a monumental event, as it will be the last total solar eclipse in the continental United States until August 24, 2044. Unfortunately, the path of totality did not pass through where I live in Albany, part of Upstate New York. Some were lucky enough to be able to travel to the path of totality, and I am very grateful to be one of them. 

1. My Experience

As a high schooler with an infatuation with the stars, I felt I needed to see this eclipse. At first, I planned on traveling west towards Buffalo, New York and staying with my family there. This was the best plan because all hotels were sold out along the path of totality or selling for outrageous prices. Then, the dreaded forecast came. Western New York was going to be extremely cloudy, blocking out the eclipse. This would be the first total eclipse I had ever experienced, and as a space-junkie, an obscured view was devastating news. I was able to change my plans and travel to Plattsburgh, in Northern New York. Totality (especially without clouds) is the most beautiful experience I have ever witnessed. During totality, the sky become dark, almost looking as if the Sun had set. Animals began acting weird; seagulls flew erratically, confused by the Sun’s disappearance. It became cool. People pulled on jackets and their hoods. At 3:25 in the afternoon, the stars came out. I could see Jupiter glowing in the sky. The most mind-blowing, beautiful part was the covered Sun. It is hard to show through pictures, almost impossible to describe with words. The uSn seemed as if it had been replaced by a black hole. Of course, logic dictates it hadn’t been, but in the moment, overtaken by the deviation from normal, I would have believed it. Something that is a constant throughout our lives is suddenly blocked. It was a strange and beautiful event. I am very lucky to have seen this phenomenon, and I hope that everyone is able to experience it during their lives. 

2. The Science Behind Eclipses

 So, how does an eclipse happen? An eclipse is when a celestial body passes in front of another celestial body, blocking off light. A total solar eclipse is when the Sun’s light is blocked by the Moon completely. This is different from a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse is when the Earth’s shadow covers the Moon. This occurs during the full moon phase, but a solar eclipse can only happen during the new moon phase. The phase of the Moon is crucial to creating a solar eclipse, as the Moon needs to be in between the Sun and the Earth to block out the light. The darkest shadow of the Moon, called the umbra, passes over the Earth. The Moon’s size and distance from Earth makes it perfectly align to block out the Sun completely. There is also the penumbral shadow, which is the shadow casted when a light source is only partially blocked by another object. This is what is seen by some who are not in the path of totality, but still relatively close to the path. My friends and family who stayed in the Albany area for the eclipse saw the penumbra. They, along with others around the continental US, when wearing eclipse glasses could see the Sun being partially blocked. The sky would not get as dark as in totality, but the Sun does appear dimmer. This is rightfully called a partial eclipse, however there is also another type of solar eclipse. An annular eclipse is when the Sun is not completely covered by the shadow, which only happens when the Moon is at its apogee - the point of orbit where the Moon is the farthest from Earth. Solar eclipses are amazing natural phenomena that don’t only occur on Earth but also on other planets that possess a moon. Mercury and Venus are left out of the eclipse club because of their lack of moons, and Mars has moons that are not at the right distance or size to create a total eclipse. 

3. Future Eclipses

The next total solar eclipse will be on August 12, 2026. This will only be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, and Russia. Already, hotels and cruise ships have begun selling tickets for this event. The next eclipse visible in one of the states will be in Alaska on March 30, 2033. If one wants to see an eclipse in the continental United States, one will have to wait until August 23, 2044. This total solar eclipse will be visible in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. If bent on staying in New York, one would have to wait until May 1, 2079. Good luck and happy eclipse chasing!