Total solar eclipse over Rochester’s sky on April 8, 2024

Rochester, New York — One of the most magical events in astronomy will occur over Rochester In two years, as the moon blankets the earth in darkness, passing in front of the sun for three minutes and 38 seconds of totality.

The most recent and best-documented eclipse was back in 2017 when millions flocked to the path of totality that marched across the United States from the Pacific Northwest down to the Southeast. In 2024, this path will go from Mexico through the United States and directly over Rochester.

This occurs when a new moon moves over the sun and a strip of darkness streaks across the sky.

The Rochester Museum and Science Center is expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors leading up to April 8th, 2024 when the path of totality moves right over the City. The next time we will get an opportunity like this will not be until 2045.

The Rochester Museum and Science Center issued the following info on its importance:

A total eclipse is one of the rarest and most spectacular events in nature. During the partial phases just before and after totality, the landscape around you is transformed by eerie dim light and strangely sharp shadows. During totality, the sky becomes as dark as deep twilight, bright stars and planets appear, and the Sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona, shines around the black disk of the Moon’s silhouette.

Changes in temperature, winds, and animal behavior occur during the time around totality. The experience is emotionally powerful and unforgettable.