Science

EXPERIENCE THE SHADOW OF THE MOON!

On Monday, April 8, 2024 the shadow of the moon will pass across the US making a line from central Mexico to New England.  This time, the central part of the moon’s shadow (the umbra) will pass right over Buffalo bringing us a TOTAL solar eclipse.  April 8, 2024 is going to be a BIG deal, and we want to help you experience it.

This guide was put together by several organizations in Western New York that do outreach programming for astronomy.  We want you to be able to make the most of this spectacular event.  Each of WNY’s planetariums will be hosting opportunities to learn about and prepare for the eclipse beforehand.

WHAT IS A SOLAR ECLIPSE?

A solar eclipse happens when the moon, as seen by us on Earth, passes directly in front of the sun.  Once each month, the moon makes a complete orbit (or revolution) around the Earth.  The changing angle of sunlight on the moon causes the waxing and waning of the moon’s phases.  At new moon, it is not visible because the side facing Earth is not lit by the sun.  Furthermore, it is lost in the glare of the sun as it passes between the sun and Earth.  Due to the tilt of the moon’s orbit, it normally passes just above or below the sun.  However, every 6 months the alignment is just right and the moon can pass directly in front of the sun.

Even though the sun is much larger than the moon, the two bodies are at just the right distances to make them appear to be the same size in our sky.  This means that the bright yellow disk of the sun, known as the photosphere, can be blocked revealing the sun’s atmosphere which is called the corona.  When this happens, a beautiful ring of light appears, the stars are visible in the middle of the day, birds stop chirping because they think it is nighttime, and people experience a few minutes of eerie darkness -“totality”- in the middle of the day.

totality

Filtered lens view of totality.

MOON SHADOWS

There are two parts of the moon’s shadow.  The area where all of the sun is blocked is called the “umbra” and the area where only part of the sun is blocked is called the “penumbra.”  To experience “totality”, you need to be along a narrow line where the moon’s umbra sweeps across the Earth.  If you are in the penumbra, you will only see a partial eclipse.  The closer you are to the centerline of the umbra’s path, the longer totality will last.

Solar Eclipse Diagram

WHERE DO I NEED TO BE TO VIEW THE ECLIPSE?

Click on this LINK for an interactive map that shows the path of the eclipse.  On that map, you can click on any location and get the exact times that this eclipse will start and end at that location.

HOW DO I KNOW EXACTLY WHEN TOTALITY STARTS AND WHEN IT ENDS?

Do NOT look directly at the sun without your eclipse glasses or approved filters before or after totality. During totality (when you can’t see any part of the sun through the glasses) you can take your glasses off to view the fully eclipsed sun. As soon as the bright part of the sun emerges again, get those glasses and filters back on. How do you know exactly when totality starts and ends? The interactive map will give you exact timing for your location. Another great tool is the Talking Eclipse Timer app which will audibly count down to the beginning and end of totality.

LEARN MUCH MORE ABOUT THE ECLIPSE AT A PLANETARIUM