What makes this eclipse in April different from the one that occurred in 2017?

Rochester, New York – What distinguishes the 2017 eclipse from the total solar eclipse that will occur on Monday, April 8?

This is why Rochester will experience the impending eclipse like never before. The fact that the afternoon will turn dark is not the issue. It’s not that 500,000 people are anticipated to go to the Rochester region to witness it. It’s a coincidence that we live in a region of the planet that is on the path of totality.

Gregg says: “I remember just a few years back, there was something similar to a solar eclipse. I read that the solar eclipse only happens once in a blue moon, so what was it that occurred a few years ago?”

Since we weren’t in the path of totality, Western New York saw a partial solar eclipse in August 2017. This April, as a total solar eclipse—a total eclipse in which the moon totally obscures the sun—will occur around Rochester.

Depending on where you were, the path of totality in 2017 varied in width from 60 to 70 miles. It crossed the United States from South Carolina to Oregon.

The Rochester region is included in the eclipse’s more than 100-mile path of totality in April. With 31 million people living in the line of totality this year, it encompasses a more populous area. It was less than half that in 2017.

So, are eclipses truly once-in-a-lifetime occurrences? No, but following the entire path is. The United States will see its next complete solar eclipse on August 23, 2044, which is 20 years away. The Eclipse Headquarters in Rochester is located at News10NBC; our coverage is available in its entirety here.