*ICYMI stands for In Case You Missed It. It indicates that the story was already posted but is still or again timely.
By Gus Saltonstall
Start making plans.
A total solar eclipse will pass across parts of North America, including Mexico, the United States, and Canada, on April 8.
You may have to travel to experience the full effect, as New York City is not in the “path of totality.” But New Yorkers will still be able to see the moon cover up to 90 percent of the sun. A few areas in northern New York State will experience totality.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between, i.e. aligns with, the earth and the sun, “shielding the solar surface from our view,” wrote The New York Times. You won’t have another chance to see one until 2044.
For those who remember, the last time the United States saw a total solar eclipse was in the summer of 2017.
The American Museum of Natural History is hosting a free (with museum admission) public program to watch the eclipse on April 8.
Weather permitting, the program will take place on the Arthur Ross Terrace and the Cullman Hall of the Universe (enter on West 81st Street and Central Park West), where experts will take visitors through the event and also provide glasses to safely view the phenomenon.
It is very important to not look directly at a total solar eclipse. You must use protective eyewear. See what The Times recommends – HERE.
The program will begin at 10 a.m., and the partial eclipse will begin at 2:10 p.m. The maximum eclipse coverage in New York City will happen at 3:25 p.m.
According to The Times, “As the eclipse approaches its maximum phase, the air will get cooler, the sky will grow dimmer, shadows will sharpen and you might notice images of crescents — tiny projections of the eclipse — within them. Along the path of totality, the world will go dark while the moon inches toward perfect alignment with Earth and the sun….Viewers in locations away from the eclipse path will see the moon partially blot out the sun, though how perceptible the effects are depends on the site’s distance from the centerline. (The closer you are, the more remarkable it will be.) Still, it won’t be quite like experiencing the eclipse during totality.” (Even during a partial eclipse you need protective eyewear.)
The American Museum of Natural History also created an extremely informative video on what takes place during a total solar eclipse.
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Apparently Warby Parker and the New York Public Library have free eclipse glasses.
Yesterday I stopped by the Warby Parker at 80th & Columbus, and they’d run out. The friendly salesperson informed me that the branch at 69th is out, too. She recommended that I try the Museum–or go online!
Just came from Museum of Natural History. Bought glasses at the gift shop counter for $3.25.
Libraries are running out of the glasses and they provide only one per person. One needs to sign a waiver The Lincoln Center library ran out of glasses but a security guard at the library offered to sell one for $20. My husband declined the offer.
Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station still had them on Thursday, free, at Customer Service. Don’t know about now.
7/ Eleven at 100st n Amsterdam is selling eclipse glasses. $2.50. Each. Purchased 2 on Friday
Today they’re $5/each. Who knows what the price will be tomorrow!
A solar eclipse will be visible in New York City on the afternoon of Monday April 8, 2024 at 3:25 PM. New York City will be one of eleven contiguous U.S. states situated within the path of totality for the total solar eclipse.
The eclipse begins at 2:10 p.m., peaks around 3:25 p.m. (this is when the sun will be most hidden, 96% in NYC) and ends around 4:36 p.m., when the edge of the moon leaves the edge of the sun.