New Yorkers need only look up — with eye protection — on the afternoon of April 8 for a view of the biggest celestial event of the year: a solar eclipse.
At 2:10 p.m., the moon will begin to cover the sun. By 3:25 p.m., about 90% of Earth’s closest star, which is roughly 93 million miles away, will be obscured. At that moment, the sun will appear as a bright crescent clinging to the dark edge of the black disc of the moon. The whole show will last about two and a half hours. While New Yorkers will need to head upstate for a total eclipse, the view should still be spectacular in New York City.
The last eclipse was in 2017. The next eclipse visible from the city will be in 20 years.
“I don’t think that there is another astronomical phenomenon that I could encourage you to go to that could inspire you to your core the way a solar eclipse can,” said Jackie Faherty, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side. “If you’re watching at the beginning, it’s nothing, and then all of a sudden in comes the moon, moving at a nice beautiful clip, and it starts to look like the Death Star from ‘Star Wars’ across the face of the sun.”
Where to watch the eclipse
Parks, waterfronts and roofs are prime areas for a great view. There are also eclipse events across the city, including at the American Museum of Natural History, Green-wood Cemetery and the New York Hall of Science. Free solar glasses will be available and telescopes will be set up to give visitors a close-up view of the eclipse. Experts will also be on hand to answer questions.
“If you can see the sun, you can watch the event unfold in New York City,” Faherty said. “So just don’t put yourself deep into the concrete jungle of Midtown, where there’s way too many tall buildings that could block the sun for you.”
The sky won’t go completely black, because 10% of the sun is bright enough to make it look like it’s another hazy day. But the change will be dark enough to…
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