Find out when, where and how to see it.

Long Island

LIECLIPSE2024

David J. Criblez

On Aug. 21, 2017, Alan Cousins,&nbsp;of Brightwaters, witnessed something extraordinary. He <a href="https://www.newsday.com/travel/solar-eclipse-new-york-h8bfeg0a">traveled</a> to South Carolina to see a total solar eclipse. 
“It was ethereal and just fascinating to watch,” says Cousins, 60, who serves as the vice president of the Custer Institute &amp; Observatory in Southold. “It’s intriguing for us as humans to experience that change in surroundings. Plus, listening to the wildlife during totality was interesting because they thought it was nighttime and started making their nighttime noises.” 
A total eclipse takes place when the moon passes between the sun and earth, obscuring the view of the sun from a small part of the earth. The next solar eclipse is set for April 8 and Long Island is getting prepared. Although Nassau and Suffolk counties are not in the path of totality, residents can see just under 90% coverage. 
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“It’s a rarity,” says Cousins. “Total eclipses require precise alignment between the centers of the sun and moon because the moon’s apparent size in the sky is sometimes too small to fully cover the sun.” 
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Here are eclipse events to attend in celebration of this cosmic occurrence. 
<h2>Solar eclipse viewing party at the Cradle</h2> 
The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale drew more than 2,000 people to its last solar eclipse viewing in 2017. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="The expected path of the total solar eclipse, April 8.
" data-attr-credit="AP" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/4af04b5f-4b18-4581-94a5-23a88e65a478" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/4af04b5f-4b18-4581-94a5-23a88e65a478', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/4af04b5f-4b18-4581-94a5-23a88e65a478"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/4af04b5f-4b18-4581-94a5-23a88e65a478/TRSOLAR240403.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />The expected path of the total solar eclipse, April 8. </a> 
“When the eclipse happened, everybody just stopped and experienced it together,” says Kerri Kiker, theater manager. “It was quite a moment.” 
This time around, the Cradle will offer attendees to construct pinhole projectors, which is a safe way to view the solar eclipse. 
“It’s made of thick paper and tin foil. The paper blocks any light from coming through and the tin foil, which goes around the little hole, reflects any of the light back and projects the shadow onto the ground,” says Kiker. “This way you can see the moon moving across the sun in a pinhole projection of light.” 
The event will also feature eye safety activities teaching people about how to properly protect themselves. 
“We sell solar eclipse glasses which are needed for safety,” says Kiker. Glasses are $3. “If you don’t get the right ones, it can cause severe eye damage. We even have goggles that show you what the eye damage is.” 
Plus, there are demonstrations explaining what causes an eclipse. 
“The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, it’s 400 times closer to us and that's what allows the moon to cover the sun,” says Kiker, who notes&nbsp;alignment demonstrations will be held. 
Those wanting to mark the occasion can pick up solar eclipse stickers ($2) and buttons ($1.50) in the gift shop. 
WHEN | WHERE Noon-4:45 p.m., April 8, the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Uniondale 
MORE INFO <a href="tel:516-572-4111">516-572-4111</a>, <a href="http://www.cradleofaviation.org/">cradleofaviation.org</a> 
ADMISSION $18, $16 ages 2 to 12 and 62 and over, includes museum admission 
<h2>Watch the eclipse with a crowd at the Custer&nbsp;Institute</h2> 
Witness the solar eclipse from the Custer Institute &amp; Observatory in Southold through filtered high-powered, state-of-the-art telescopes and using certified safe solar eclipse viewing glasses, which are provided to all attendees. 
“The sun will only be partially covered in Southold — about 89%,” says Cousins. “However, it will be more impressive than what Long Island witnessed during the 2017 eclipse because of the increase in coverage.” 
The weather-permitting event can comfortably accommodate up to 200 people. Advance registration is encouraged. Bring a blanket or chair to comfortably view the eclipse from the lawn. 
“In New York State, the path of totality will be about 110 miles wide and will <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/region-state/solar-eclipse-long-islanders-upstate-sln8ye0m">pass over upstate locations</a> like Buffalo, Rochester, Watertown and&nbsp;Plattsburgh. Those in the middle of the path aka the ‘centerline’ could experience up to 3&frac12; minutes of totality,” says Cousins. “Overall, the eclipse path will make landfall in Mexico, pass through the contiguous United States and exit the continent through eastern Canada.&quot; 
WHEN | WHERE 2:30 p.m., April 8, Custer Institute and Observatory, 1115 Main Bayview Rd., Southold 
MORE INFO <a href="tel:631-765-2626">631-765-2626</a>, <a href="https://www.custerobservatory.org/">custerobservatory.org</a> 
ADMISSION $10, $8 ages 15 and younger, $5 members 
<h2>Catch the solar eclipse at the LI Explorium</h2> 
View the solar eclipse from the doorsteps of the Long Island Explorium in Port Jefferson. The eclipse begins at 2:12 p.m. hitting 85-90% totality from Long Island at approximately 3:27 p.m. and ending at 4:37 p.m. 
Safety glasses are provided for each participant. Preregister now. 
WHEN | WHERE 1 p.m., April 8, Long Island Explorium, 101 E. Broadway, Port Jefferson 
MORE INFO 631-331-3277, <a href="https://longislandexplorium.org/">longislandexplorium.org</a> 
ADMISSION $10, limited availability 
<h2>Go to NYS parks</h2> 
Experience the solar eclipse surrounded by nature as New York State parks are being designated by Gov. Kathy Hochul as public viewing spots. Long Islanders can head to Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park as well as Connetquot River State Park Preserve&nbsp;in Oakdale. 
In honor of the event, New York State is providing limited edition “I LOVE NY” eclipse glasses. Complimentary pairs (two per person, while supplies) can be picked up at the Long Island Welcome Center, located at 5100 Long Island Expy. (eastbound between Exits 51 and 52), in Dix Hills, which is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Please note supplies are extremely limited. 
WHEN | WHERE 2-4 p.m., April 8; Sunken Meadow State Park, New York State Reference Rte. 908K, Kings Park; Connetquot River State Park, 4090 Sunrise Hwy., Oakdale 
MORE INFO <a href="https://parks.ny.gov/">parks.ny.gov</a> 
ADMISSION Free

Things to Do

Long Island Events

XLECLIPSE240304

TRSOLAR240401

Solar eclipse viewing spots on Long Island

Where to see the solar eclipse on LI

TRSOLAR240401_photos

Tracy Tullis

The solar eclipse on Monday will be visible across a wide swath of New York State, and the state has been planning since October 2022 &quot;to make sure you can experience it safely and enjoyably,&quot; Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news&nbsp;conference on Sunday afternoon. 
She said NASA will be running education programs in state parks to “give people a deeper understanding of the science of this incredible spectacle we will be experiencing.&quot;&nbsp; 
Campsites in the prime viewing zone were opened early to accommodate eclipse watchers, acting Parks Commissioner Randy Simons said, and all were fully booked for Sunday night. Simons warned that it is mud season in upstate areas such as the Adirondacks, so people should not drive in the backcountry in an attempt to find a remote viewing spot. 
Hochul said with New Yorkers and visitors from other states all convening in the 100-plus-mile band within the path of totality, there will be &quot;extended traffic delays.&quot; She advised drivers to allow plenty of extra time to arrive at their viewing destination and not to pull over to watch from the side of the road, which presents a hazard to emergency vehicles that need to get through.&nbsp; 
Police will be quick to ticket and tow cars stopped on roadsides, said Jackie Bray, commissioner of the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. 
Extra tow trucks and ambulances will be deployed for those needing assistance.&nbsp; 
There&nbsp;was very little traffic along the route for May Zhang of Westbury, who left Long Island at 5 a.m. Sunday to drive to Rochester. Zhang said she decided to make the trip after the earthquake on Friday. 
&quot;The earthquake was such a scary event, I thought, I have to see my daughter,&quot; who is a student at the University of Rochester, Zhang said. This will be their first full eclipse. &quot;It’s going to be a nice event to remember.&quot;&nbsp; 
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The eclipse will be the first in these parts since 2017, but Long Island will be closer to the path of totality&nbsp;Monday than it was seven years ago. 
The path of the eclipse will make landfall in North America at Mazatlan, Mexico, and will travel northeast through Texas, Arkansas and the Midwest before hitting western and upstate New York, then Vermont and Canada’s Maritime Provinces before it fades out somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. 
On Long Island the moon will block&nbsp;90% of the sun, leaving just a sliver of light around the edge, just before 3:30 p.m. 
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For those planning to stay closer to home, several local institutions are hosting watch parties and demonstrations. 
The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Uniondale will offer tutorials on making a box viewer and about eclipses generally. Activities start at noon. (Entrance fee of $18 or $16 for children and people over 62 includes museum admission.) 
Head to the Custer Institute &amp; Observatory in Southold for a chance to see the eclipse through a high-powered, solar-safe telescope; the observatory will also give out glasses. The event starts at 2:30 p.m. ($10, $8 ages 15 and younger.) 
Or you can experience this astronomical anomaly at one of the region’s state parks, such as Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park or Connetquot River State Park Preserve in Oakdale, which have been designated by the state as viewing spots. 
The only reason our planet experiences eclipses is that its moon — roughly 400 times smaller than the sun — is also roughly 400 times closer to Earth. So every year and a half or so, somewhere on Earth, it appears as if the moon fits precisely over the sun. 
The governor reminded eclipse watchers that “staring at the sun during an eclipse without the proper eye protection can literally do permanent damage to your eyes.” Eclipse glasses should carry the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 12312-2 certification;&nbsp;ordinary sunglasses do not offer sufficient protection. 
Those who haven’t yet secured a pair will have a hard time finding one&nbsp;now, but there is another way to watch safely: build an indirect viewer out of white paper or cardboard, and aluminum foil&nbsp;such as the one described by NASA on the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/learn/project/how-to-make-a-pinhole-camera">Jet Propulsion Laboratory's website</a>. These low-tech devices will project a surprisingly clear image of the eclipse on the paper and is safe, as you face away from the sun to view it. 
The next total solar eclipse that will be visible from the Island will be May 1, 2079. &nbsp;

LIECLIPSE240408

Solar eclipse in New York: Last-minute preparations set for celestial event on Monday

State ready for 'incredible spectacle' of solar eclipse

Total Solar Eclipse Spectators

If the clouds cooperate, Long Islanders will be able to catch the solar eclipse Monday, when the moon will block&nbsp;90% of the sun, leaving just a sliver of light around the edge, just before 3:30 p.m.

LIECLIPSE240408_video

It's eclipse day on Long Island

Newsday

Eclipse day is here

Lisa L. Colangelo

In ancient China, they were seen as signs that a celestial dragon was devouring the sun. Some Mayan cultures thought&nbsp;they heralded destruction. Babylonians kept records of them on clay tablets and learned how to predict when they would occur. 
Eclipses have captivated people for thousands of years. Professional and amateur astronomers are making plans to get the best view of the celestial event on Monday — the last&nbsp;total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044. 
<a href="https://www.newsday.com/travel/solar-eclipse-new-york-h8bfeg0a">Some will travel to upstate New York for the spectacle</a>,&nbsp;but Long Islanders can still witness the stellar wonder from home. Here is what you need to know about the eclipse and how to watch it safely on Long Island. 
<h3>What is a solar eclipse?</h3> 
An eclipse of the sun is when the moon, which orbits the Earth about once every month, passes directly between the Earth and the sun. 
“Now that doesn’t happen every month because the orbit of the moon isn’t exactly coplanar with the orbit of the Earth around the sun,” said Michael Shara, curator of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. “So about once a year, the moon passes right in front of the sun as seen by Earth.” 
Shara pointed out that even though the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon, it is also 400 times farther away and that’s why the two of them appear about the same size in the sky. 
<h3>Will we see a total eclipse on Long Island or in New York City?</h3> 
Not a total, but a partial eclipse, about 90%, Shara said. 
“Everyone within 50 miles of Manhattan is going to see basically the same thing,” he said. “The path of totality, just by fluke, runs almost parallel to Long Island. The only way to see more is to go north and west up to Niagara Falls.” 
The path of totality includes&nbsp;Jamestown, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown, Old Forge, Lake Placid and Plattsburgh. 
People hoping for a total solar eclipse on Long Island will have to wait until 2079, said&nbsp;Dave Bush, director of the Vanderbilt Reichert Planetarium. 
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<h3>What is the difference between a total eclipse and 90% partial eclipse?</h3> 
When the moon blocks the sun at 90%, viewers are likely to see a crescent shape of the sun peering out. The skies may darken a bit. During a total eclipse, the sky will look like dawn or dusk, according to NASA. If the skies are clear, people will see the sun’s outer atmosphere as well as stars and planets. 
Bush said this eclipse is unique because once it goes into totality, people in that path will be able to see Jupiter, Mars and Venus. That does not include New York City or Long Island. 
“It’s one of the most magnificent things that you or anybody will ever see,” Shara said of a total eclipse. “There are millions of people who have seen one, and they become dedicated, almost fanatic eclipse chasers. Some travel halfway around the world and spend huge amounts of money to be in the moon’s shadow for two, three or four minutes once or twice a year.” 
<h3>How is this different from the 2017 eclipse?</h3> 
The eclipse path is taking a different journey, Bush said. 
“Last time, it started in the state of Oregon and ended up in South Carolina,” Bush said. “This one will originate in Mexico, pass through Texas, and onward through several states, including New York, Vermont&nbsp;and Maine.” 
<h3>When does the eclipse start and when does it end?</h3> 
“The moon starts covering the sun here on Long Island at 2:12 p.m. on April 8,” Bush said. “The very last piece of the moon moves past the face of the sun at 4:37 p.m.” He said while Long Islanders will not see a total solar eclipse, the skies should darken slightly. 
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<h3>Why is it dangerous to look at the eclipse without special glasses?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3> 
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Never look directly at the sun during an eclipse without special eye protection, said Dr. Matthew Gorski, an ophthalmologist with Northwell Health Physician Partners in Great Neck. People who do so can get a rare but serious injury called solar retinopathy. 
“Solar retinopathy occurs when the UV light rays enter the eye and damage the delicate tissues of the retina,” Gorski said. “This damage can occur in a moment of looking at the sun.” 
He said the symptoms — blurry vision, blind spots, distortion, light sensitivity — can develop hours to days and sometimes even weeks after the exposure. 
“In some cases, symptoms go away and get better, but in other cases the visual disturbances can be permanent,” Gorski said. 
Doctors at Mount Sinai said they had a patient diagnosed with solar retinopathy after the 2017 solar eclipse. She had looked at the sun during the eclipse for 21 seconds without protective eyewear and had burned a hole in her retina. 
<h3>How can I safely look at the eclipse?</h3> 
“If you want to look at the eclipse, you need special glasses that carry the designation ISO 12312-2,” Gorski said. “These are the only types of glasses you should wear to look at the sun. Never try to make your own eclipse glasses. These are thousands of times darker than the regular sunglasses.” 
Gorski said people should <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/solar-eclipse-glasses-owd00g1l">get these glasses from a reputable vendor</a> and check them for damage such as scratches or holes before using them. And turn away from the sun when you take them off. 
<h3>Can children safely watch the eclipse?</h3> 
Gorski said parents need to be extra cautious with children. “You have to know your child and if they are going to be responsible enough to put on the glasses and use them properly,” he said. Also, make sure the glasses fit them correctly. 
<h3>What kind of scams should people be aware of regarding the eclipse?</h3> 
Gov. Kathy Hochul has warned people to be on guard for fake merchandise and phony accommodation listings for people who are following the path of the eclipse. For example, some vendors might sell counterfeit or overpriced merchandise, or scammers might create false hotel or rental listings offering prime views of the eclipse when they might not even exist or the person might not own the property.

News

Health

LIECLIPSEQA240331

Watching the eclipse: Here's what the rare celestial event is all about and how to see it safely

Answering questions on the rare April 8 solar eclipse

HSSKY240323

Joie Tyrrell

With Monday's solar eclipse providing&nbsp;such a rare educational opportunity for children, schools and libraries across Long Island have scheduled programs&nbsp;to make the most of the event. 
&quot;Nature is going to put on a spectacular show … and we want to use it as a teachable moment,&quot; said&nbsp;Vincent Pereira, director of science for the&nbsp;Freeport school district. 
Some schools are dismissing students early, and at least one district&nbsp;has extended the school day so classmates can watch it together.&nbsp;Much of the eclipse is expected to occur&nbsp;after school hours.&nbsp; 
Some districts are distributing free glasses for students so they can view the eclipse safely. A library in Middle Country has scheduled&nbsp;events, including a program with the Vanderbilt Museum. Two educators from the&nbsp;Plainview-Old Bethpage district are traveling upstate to conduct experiments.&nbsp;Students in Freeport will investigate the impact the eclipse has on weather. 
Officials in the Middle Country district have extended the day for all elementary&nbsp;students to view the eclipse outside with their classmates and teachers. There also will be an option for those to watch inside school buildings&nbsp;on a livestream. 
&quot;We wanted to make sure first and foremost that students knew about eye safety and how they can safely engage, and secondly we really wanted to celebrate this exciting phenomenon,&quot; said Rachel Ndembera, coordinator of science/research for the district. 
The Middle Country Public Library has had a longtime interest in the study of space. The library&nbsp;is a member of the STAR Library Network, a hands-on learning network for libraries nationwide led by the Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning. 
Local eclipse activities include offering viewing glasses for families, instructions on how to make a safe pinhole viewer, and a lesson with experts from the Vanderbilt Museum. There are planned&nbsp;events for the day of the eclipse with a viewing in the&nbsp;Centereach branch parking lot. 
&quot;Something like this only comes by every so often, and it really sparks that deeper interest in STEM concepts,&quot; said&nbsp;Kristine Tanzi, the library's&nbsp;coordinator for teen services who also serves as the point person for the space programs. 
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Two Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School teachers will be headed just south&nbsp;of&nbsp;Rochester — where eclipse coverage will be 100% — to conduct experiments on weather patterns and temperature Monday that will be shared with students upon their return. 
&quot;Everyone who has seen [an eclipse]&nbsp;said it is such an amazing experience to observe, and you feel such a connection with the universe. It makes kids feel like they are part of a bigger world,&quot; said Jordan Pekor, who teaches physics at the high&nbsp;school. He will be traveling upstate with another teacher, Stephen Hassard, who teaches physics and Earth science. 
At the Plainview-Old Bethpage and Mattlin middle schools, Earth science teachers will remain after school to host viewing parties with students. 
Freeport educators are going to show students how the science they learned in the classroom has a practical application,&nbsp;Pereira said. They have designed an experiment to&nbsp;assess the effects of the solar eclipse on the weather patterns across the state. 
Students will measure temperature, humidity, wind speed&nbsp;and direction in 15-minute time intervals throughout the duration of the eclipse.&nbsp;Freeport’s goal is to analyze the data collected and compare the results with those obtained by schools in Great Britain during its solar eclipse in 2015.&nbsp; 
&quot;A lot of things happen with the weather pattern. The temperatures drop. The wind changes, and all of&nbsp;those changes and those&nbsp;memories stay with people,&quot; Pereira said. 
In addition, Freeport will be launching a high-altitude balloon to take similar measurements and photographs of the eclipse. 
Some districts, such as Wantagh and Franklin Square, are issuing viewing glasses to students. Uniondale High School&nbsp;is hosting a viewing for students who have permission slips and will provide them glasses. And&nbsp;Valley Stream South High School is hosting an eclipse watch&nbsp;festival for students after school. 
The eclipse begins at 2:12 p.m., hitting 85-90% totality from Long Island at approximately 3:27 p.m. and ending at 4:37 p.m. 
The organizations that oversee athletics at Long Island schools have moved all games to later in the day Monday. 
“We’re moving all of the games and making them 4:30 starts to avoid the solar eclipse,” said Tom Combs, executive director of Section XI, which governs Suffolk sports. “The athletic directors in each school district have also formed a plan for practices on Monday. 
“Some districts are giving the students off and treating it as a snow day. Other districts are having viewing parties on their turf fields at places like Center Moriches and Deer Park,” he said. Some school districts adjusted dismissal time to accommodate students during the eclipse. 
Pat Pizzarelli, executive director for Section VIII, which governs Nassau sports, said a directive has been sent that schools cannot start any events before 5 p.m. 
“Some districts are sending middle school students home early. And one district is sending home students at 11 a.m., but the athletes need to come back for their events in the afternoon,” Pizzarelli said 
Events have been scheduled for Long Island college students as well. At Hofstra University, the chair of the&nbsp;Department of Physics and Astronomy has&nbsp;organized a viewing for students. Farmingdale State College will host an event with music, telescopes&nbsp;and moon pies hosted by a faculty astronomer; it will be&nbsp;open to the public. 
SUNY Old Westbury is inviting&nbsp;students and staff, prospective students and their families and some of the K-12 schools the university partners with to a viewing event outside the campus center atrium. 
With Gregg Sarra

Education

LISCHOOLS240407_WOE

How Long Island schools are handling Monday's solar eclipse

Monday's solar eclipse: How LI schools are handling rare event

LISCHOOLS240407

Maureen Mullarkey

Mostly sunny skies allowed a clear view of the solar eclipse on Long Island. 
The temperature — which was pushing 60 degrees at the time of the eclipse — dropped a few degrees as the sun was obscured by the moon around 3:30 p.m.&nbsp;Clouds were present but were very thin and didn't interfere with seeing most of the rare celestial event. 
Earlier weather service meteorologist David Stark had predicted the cloud cover was unlikely&nbsp;to “obscure the sky.” 
The eclipse began&nbsp;at 2:12 p.m. and ended at about 4:37 p.m. The maximum coverage for Long Island was&nbsp;around 3:27 p.m. 
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Monday night should be mostly cloudy with a low temperature of around 46 degrees. 
A coastal flood warning was issued for southern Nassau from 10 p.m. Monday to 2 a.m. Tuesday due to an “astronomical” high tide from the new moon. However, Stark described the risk as “minimal” and that any possible flooding would be very localized and close to shore. 
“This is not going to cause any type of significant impacts like what we saw with the last storm,” Stark said. 
Tuesday’s high temperature is expected to be in the 60s with sunny skies. Rain will return Tuesday night and for most of the week. Temperatures will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s for the rest of the workweek, according to the weather service. 
“It's more apparent especially as we get towards late Wednesday, Wednesday night and Thursday,” said Stark. “It doesn't look to be the type of rain that we just saw last week, but there's going to probably be a period in there on Thursday that we could have a nice, steady or shower showers for a time.” 
With Darwin Yanes and Grant Parpan

LIWEAT240408

Mostly sunny conditions allowed for good eclipse viewing on Long Island 

LI got great view of the eclipse against mostly sunny skies

LITRAFFIC240403_photos

Nicholas Spangler

When the total solar eclipse crosses a swath of North America next week, Long Island’s amateur radio operators will participate in a NASA-funded project documenting its effect on the atmosphere roughly 50 to 400 miles above the Earth’s surface, on the edge of space. 
By measuring the behavior of radio waves from the messages they and other ham radio operators, or &quot;hams,&quot; send and receive before, during and after the eclipse, researchers hope to learn new information about the ionosphere, the layers of atmosphere through which GPS and communications satellite signals pass — and off which AM and ham radio signals can bounce. 
“I see this as a pure science event,” said Bob Ciappa, an electrical engineer from Farmingville and member of the Suffolk County Radio Club, one of those who will participate. “It involves people communicating with other people, not just mixing chemicals in a lab.” 
The project, called the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation, or HamSCI, is intended to show how much of the ionosphere is affected by the eclipse, and for how long and exactly why, said project leader Nathaniel Frissell, professor of physics and engineering at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. 
“We are very interested in the processes that happen in the upper atmosphere, and in the eclipse we’ll see how the ionosphere reacts to that very short, quick moving night,” Frissell said in a phone interview. HamSCI is also funded by the National Science Foundation. 
The ionosphere takes its name from the process of ionization that takes place when the sun’s radiation hits a particle — for example, a molecule of oxygen or a hydrogen atom — ejecting a negatively charged free electron. The ionosphere is strongest during the day and weakens at night, when the sun’s radiation diminishes and ions and electrons more easily recombine. 
Hams like Ciappa bounce signals off those electrons to signal interlocutors over the curve of the Earth, generally using higher frequency signals during the day and lower frequency signals at night. 
Because the eclipse, unlike nightfall, is relatively localized and takes minutes, not hours, scientists will have an unusually well-controlled opportunity to observe change to the ionosphere. 
That’s where Ciappa and his friends come in. 
By analyzing data from millions of their eclipse-day “spots” — brief, oftentimes electronic exchanges of information about a station’s frequency, location and other details — researchers can make inferences about the ionosphere and its response to the eclipse, effectively mapping and measuring “parts of the atmosphere that satellites aren’t able to measure,” Frissell said. That experimental data can be used to improve physicists’ models of how the atmosphere works, he said. 
HamSCI projects organized for previous eclipses have shown that the effects of the event on signal traffic were larger and longer than might be expected, findings Frissell and his colleagues have said suggest avenues for continued research. 
About 500 ham operators, including more than a dozen Long Islanders, are expected to join Monday. 
“All of this information will help out for communications in the future,” said Ed Wilson, Suffolk County Radio Club’s vice president, a retired NYPD detective who lives in Shirley and plans to participate Monday from the grounds of the Moriches branch of the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library. First responders and the military also use high-frequency radio signals, and Wilson said ham operators often help communications after a disaster, as they did after Superstorm Sandy. 
The information could also help improve GPS technology, which Frissell said is susceptible to signal delays caused by the ionosphere that are barely noticeable to a driver following turn-by-turn directions but potentially critical for a pilot trying to land in zero visibility. 
“If you can predict them, it might help you compensate for some of those delays, or anticipate when you can expect outages in the GPS system,” he said. 
While several of the hams interviewed for this story said that, like Wilson, they were happy to do their bit for radio science, that dedication didn’t mean they’d be tied to their radios for the entire eclipse. 
“I’ll give it a shot, but somewhere along the line I’m going to go out there with welding glasses and look at the sun,” said Paul Janson, a retired steamfitter from Ronkonkoma and member of the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club.

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Long Island amateur radio operators to help with NASA study during Monday's total solar eclipse

LI 'hams' to take spotlight during solar eclipse study

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Members of the Suffolk County Radio Club will participate in a study of how Monday&#39;s eclipse will affect signals&nbsp;between the sun and the ionosphere. NewsdayTV&#39;s Steve Langford reports.

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LI ham radio enthusiasts to study out-of-this-world event

Yaphank

'We can talk 5 miles away or we can talk halfway around the world'

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Anthony Rieber

They must have seen the light. 
The Yankees have moved what they called Monday’s “Solar Eclipse Day” game against the Marlins at Yankee Stadium from 2:05 p.m. to 6:05 p.m. 
The Yankees announced the change with a statement on Thursday night: &quot;After reconsidering the challenges of playing through Monday's solar eclipse, including potential in-game delays, Major League Baseball and the Yankees have rescheduled the start time of the Yankees-Marlins game.&quot; 
The original start time would have had the game starting five minutes before the partial solar eclipse is expected to begin in New York City. The moon is expected to obscure about 90% of the sun at the eclipse’s peak. The eclipse will end around 4:36 p.m. 
The Yankees-Marlins game was the only MLB game scheduled to begin during the eclipse. 
Experts have been warning for weeks about the potential dangers of looking directly at the sun during an eclipse without specially-made protective glasses, so to have upwards of 40,000 people in a baseball stadium for two to three hours during the eclipse could have been seen as problematic. 
The Yankees had not said they were planning to hand out protective glasses. They are giving the first 15,000 fans a Yankees Solar Eclipse T-shirt and were treating it as a fun baseball/eclipse event. 
Before the start time was moved, Fred Walter, a professor of physics and astronomy at Stony Brook University, said on Thursday of the 2:05 p.m. first-pitch plan: “This is a dangerous thing to do.” 
A few hours later, informed that the game time had been moved, Walter said: “Moving it to 6, you separate the two events. People who want to look at the eclipse can find some glasses, make a pinhole camera, do whatever you want to do it safely, and then go to the game and enjoy the game without continuously looking up and risking danger to their eyes. It’s as simple as that.” 
Looking directly at the sun during an eclipse without protection can lead to retinal damage. 
“&quot;The solar eclipse is a really exciting event but in order to enjoy it you have to do so safely,” said Dr. Matthew Gorski, assistant professor at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and a Northwell Health ophthalmologist. “The most important thing is to never look at the sun unless you have the proper eye protection . . . You shouldn’t look at the sun without special eclipse glasses whether there is an eclipse or not and you shouldn’t look at the sun whether you are in your backyard or at a Major League Baseball game. In general, doing anything that would potentially increase the chances of looking at the sun without proper eye protection would raise some concerns for me.&quot;

Sports

Baseball

New York Yankees

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Yankees' 'Solar Eclipse Day' game pushed back to Monday evening

Yanks move back start of 'Solar Eclipse Day' game for safety's sake

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John Valenti

Homer —&nbsp;the Greek poet, not Simpson — once noted of a solar eclipse: “The sun has perished out of Heaven, and an evil mist hovers over all.” 
But, since humankind has learned a&nbsp;lot about&nbsp;astronomy since the sun's disappearing act Homer witnessed on&nbsp;April 16, 1178 B.C., NASA said of the eclipse that will briefly blanket portions on New York in near-total darkness&nbsp;on April 8: “If you haven’t seen a total solar eclipse, you haven’t seen anything.” 
For Long Islanders, however, the whole show might be disappointing. 
“Truth is,” Stony Brook University astronomy professor Frederick Walter said, “it'll be more like observing the sun through fog — or thin clouds.” 
That's because while the total eclipse centerline runs through Lake Ontario.&nbsp;On Long Island — and the metropolitan area, the eclipse will be only about 90%. 
“And 10% of the sun is still pretty&nbsp;bright,” Walter said. 
About 16,000 times brighter than a full moon, in fact, he added. 
The area of total eclipse&nbsp;will involve a&nbsp;100-mile-wide path stretching from Mazatlan, Mexico to&nbsp;Newfoundland, with areas of total eclipse in New York located in the Western and northern parts of the state, notably&nbsp;Buffalo, Rochester and&nbsp;Watertown. 
For Long Island, the initial stages of the near-total eclipse will begin shortly after 2 p.m., depending on the&nbsp;location, and end at 4:37 p.m. — with the maximum eclipse between about 3:15 and 3:30&nbsp;p.m. 
“You may not even notice it,” Walter said. 
On Wednesday, New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced a series of upstate viewing locations for those hoping to catch the rare celestial phenomenon. 
The locations&nbsp;include Allegany State Park in Salamanca, Buffalo Harbor State Park, Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora,&nbsp;Lake Erie State Park in Brocton, Long Point State Park on Lake Chautauqua in&nbsp;Bemus Point, Cumberland Bay State Park in Plattsburgh&nbsp;and&nbsp;Wellesley Island State Park in Fineview. 
NASA warned:&nbsp;“Remember, it is never safe to look directly at a partially or uneclipsed Sun without proper eye protection.” 
Approved solar glasses are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses and must have an ISO of 12312-2, which NASA said is the international standard. 
“Beware of unverified sellers on the internet who try to capitalize on the eclipse and might claim their glasses are safe even though they are not,” NASA said. 
An indirect method of viewing — using something like a pinhole projector —&nbsp;is the safest method, Walter said. 
For more information on the eclipse path, times, locations and viewing do's and don'ts, visit the NASA site at <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/feature/solar-eclipse-guide/">https://science.nasa.gov/feature/solar-eclipse-guide/</a>. 
Meanwhile, Walter said there is good news for Long Islanders. 
Well, for those&nbsp;still around by then. 
“The next one,” he said of a future&nbsp;total eclipse for the area,&nbsp;“will be in 2079.”

Region/State

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For Long Islanders, upstate is best to see solar eclipse

Experts: Travel north for best view of solar eclipse

Total Solar Eclipse Travel

John Asbury

When a near-total solar eclipse passes over Long Island next month, don’t look directly at the sun without the proper eyewear.&nbsp; 
New York State officials and dozens of other providers are offering eye protection to get a closer look April 8 as the eclipse is expected to pass over New York. Starting this week, state officials will be providing free solar eclipse glasses at rest stops, including the Long Island Welcome Center. 
Residents can pick up to two pairs of ISO-certified glasses per person at the welcome center off the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills. The “I Love New York” glasses are provided statewide, including at&nbsp;LIRR ticket windows at the Moynihan Train Hall&nbsp;at Penn Station and at rest stops on the New York State Thruway. 
The eclipse is expected to pass over New York, with the moon completely blocking out the sun from the earth’s view on a 100-mile wide path from the southwestern part of the state starting about 3:15 p.m. and departing northern New York just before 3:30 p.m. 
While Long Island is not expected to reach 100% totality of the eclipse, it is still expected to see more than 90% of the sun obstructed. The eclipse is expected to last up to 2&frac12; hours, marking the time the sun is first obstructed to the last moments when the moon’s shadow is cast. 
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“The total solar eclipse will be a once-in-a-generation experience for our state, and it’s critical that New Yorkers have the tools and information to enjoy it safely,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “From heightening awareness of scams to providing thousands of New Yorkers with eclipse glasses, I’m focused on giving everyone the resources they need to safely experience this extraordinary event.” 
Eclipse glasses can also be purchased from dozens of vendors approved by the American Astronomical Society. 
State officials warned of potential fraud by some retailers. Consumers are urged to avoid fraud by looking for glasses with an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) stamp sold by reputable retailers.

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New York State offering free solar eclipse glasses

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Anyone heading&nbsp;upstate for the Monday eclipse should avoid the Adirondack backcountry because of heavy snow and possible flooding from a storm late this week,&nbsp;Gov. Kathy Hochul said. 
“New York State has prepared for and continues to deal with this spring storm, with emergency management crews deployed to locations that have been hit hard,” Hochul said in a news release from her office Thursday. “I cannot stress enough how being weather-wise helps to ensure everyone in the path of the eclipse can safely enjoy this rare event.” 
Upstate New York is in the “path of totality” for the eclipse, and state officials have said they expect hundreds of thousands of visitors to the area. State officials have asked them to &quot;come early and stay late&quot; to avoid expected delays.&nbsp; 
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The National Weather Service’s Burlington, Vermont, station on Thursday issued a winter storm warning for portions of northern New York and Vermont that predicted up to two feet of snow in the eastern Adirondacks with scattered to widespread power outages and areas of difficult travel. The warning was in effect through Friday morning. The weather service's Buffalo station had a winter weather advisory through Thursday night. 
Both the Burlington and Buffalo stations predicted a chance of rain or&nbsp;snow through Saturday night, with clear conditions and daytime highs in the 50s on Sunday and Monday. 
For the Adirondacks, those warm temperatures will mean &quot;hazardous conditions with rapidly melting snow, ice, and possible avalanche danger,&quot; Hochul's office warned. The snowmelt could mean flooding in streams and rivers.&nbsp; 
Adirondack campgrounds and related facilities were closed, according to the release. 
Long Island got its share of storms&nbsp;this week, when parts of the region saw more than three inches of rain between Tuesday and Thursday. Monday is expected to be sunny with a high near 57 degrees, according to the weather service.&nbsp; 
Some Long Island sky watchers have said they intend to travel north for the eclipse. Some are going south as far as Texas in the hope of better weather. 
The next total solar eclipse will not happen in New York again until 2079.

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Snowstorm upstate could pose hazard to people traveling to see eclipse

Snowstorm upstate could pose hazard for eclipse viewers

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Gregg Sarra

The <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/solar-eclipse-2024-long-island-t21p949o">solar eclipse</a> is forcing changes in the high school sports schedule. 
On Long Island, about 90% of the sun will be blocked&nbsp;at 3:27 p.m. during Monday's eclipse.&nbsp;Experts have repeatedly warned that people should not look into the sun without special eclipse viewing glasses or they risk damaging their eyes. 
In response, public high school sports teams cannot play or practice until 5 p.m. in Nassau County. In Suffolk, games cannot begin until 4:30 p.m. but practice times will be left up to individual districts.&nbsp;Practices typically start after school around 2:30 p.m. and games usually start at either 4 or 5 p.m. 
Catholic league practices cannot begin 4 p.m. and games cannot start until 5&nbsp;p.m., according to Ralph Dalton, the president of boys athletics in the CHSAA. 
“We’re moving all of the games ... to avoid the solar eclipse,” said Tom Combs, the executive director of Section XI, which governs Suffolk sports. 
Nassau's&nbsp;Section VIII executive director Pat Pizzarelli said some districts are giving students the day off and treating it as a snow day. Others, he said, are planning solar eclipse viewing parties on their fields. 
“We’ve been dealing with this since August with the superintendents,&quot; Pizzarelli said. &quot;Some school districts are having a two-hour delay for release to go home to avoid the eclipse, and others are having a two-hour early release letting students out of school early. 
“We sent out a directive that schools cannot start any events before 5 p.m.&quot; 
Ralph Dalton, the president for boys athletics in the Nassau-Suffolk Catholic High School Athletic Association said the league plans to put out a statement on Thursday to address the situation. &quot;Athletes cannot go outside until after 4 p.m.,&quot; Dalton said,&nbsp;&quot;and no contests can start until 5 p.m.&quot;

High School

skECLIPSE240404

Solar eclipse pushes back start of high school sports on Monday

Solar eclipse to delay start of high school sports

Solar Eclipse Prison Lawsuit

Ahead of the solar eclipse that will darken skies over New York on Monday, the state Attorney General’s Office is warning people&nbsp;planning to watch about fake safety glasses and lenses, as well as what to do if your reservation for hotels and stays in the eclipse path are canceled. 
In a statement Wednesday, state Attorney General Letitia James says&nbsp;eclipse viewers should make certain their viewing glasses are approved by the International Organization for Standardization — and have an ISO rating of 12312-2, which will appear on the frame. Purchasers also should make certain glasses are registered as &quot;Solar View Brand” with the American Astronomical Society,&nbsp; the attorney general’s office said. 
“There are serious risks associated with not using proper eyewear when looking directly at an eclipse, which is why everyone should follow guidance to ensure their solar eclipse glasses are legitimate and safe to use,” James said in the statement. Anyone finding they’ve been duped with fake glasses should file a complaint with the attorney general’s office. 
The attorney general’s office also warned that some hotels or stay locations may force last-minute cancellations — and, in some cases may attempt to price-gouge visitors — due to the expected demand for rooms in the eclipse path. 
“Some areas of New York will see an influx of visitors,” James said, “and I encourage any consumer who has experienced a last-minute hotel cancellation, price gouging, or any other service disruption to contact my office.” 
Solar eclipse viewing tips can be found on the <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024">NASA</a> and <a href="https://aas.org">American Astronomical Society</a> websites. <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/ "></a> <a href="https://aas.org/"></a>Officials warned that ordinary sunglasses should not&nbsp;be used as a replacement for eclipse glasses. Viewers should also check to make sure glasses and filters are not torn, scratched or damaged in any way the might impede their ray-blocking abilities. 
The total eclipse path will travel&nbsp;a roughly 120-mile-wide&nbsp;corridor over many upstate areas, including Buffalo, Rochester, Watertown, Syracuse and Plattsburgh, while Long Islanders will experience about a 90% eclipse of the sun. 
Anyone seeking to file an eclipse-related complaint with the&nbsp;attorney general's office can do so <a href="https://formsnym.ag.ny.gov/OAGOnlineSubmissionForm/faces/OAGCFCHome;jsessionid=7GekxR61pB-wNzA29Oe6MthSsUngf4mI9hm-azxfxEWUNRYvpETD!1622258308">here</a>.

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Eclipse viewers should use certified safety glasses and report hotel cancellations in totality's path

Officials warn of fake safety glasses and how to spot them ahead of Monday's eclipse

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Less than a week from now, when the sun partially disappears behind Long Island's moon&nbsp;— and&nbsp;entirely in places like upstate New York&nbsp;— many of the Earth's creatures will react&nbsp;to the eclipse. 
Not all of them in the same way, according to scientists. 
The scientific literature about past eclipses includes an account of a drastic decrease in honeybee foraging, suggesting that external cues may overwhelm their internal circadian rhythms. Other studies tell of tortoises incited to passion in a South Carolina zoo and of a juvenile chimpanzee who “stood upright and gestured in the direction of the sun and moon” at a primate research center in Georgia in 1984. 
“We know that light is a cue that affects everything that happens on Earth, that all biological systems are in some way affected by light, lack of light, the rhythm of light,” said Cecilia Nilsson, a researcher at Lund University in Sweden. “It’s cool to have this natural experiment when light disappears, if only for a time.” 
Nilsson, a behavioral ecologist, was lead author of a 2018 study, conducted while she was at Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, that used weather surveillance radar stations to measure aerial activity by flying creatures in the “path of totality” in the United States in a 2017 eclipse. 
Nilsson and her colleagues expected to find more activity by migrating birds that fly by night. What they instead found was “a lot of birds settling down, landing, stopping their normal activities. … One hypothesis might be, rather than thinking it’s going to be sunset, they might be interpreting the gathering darkness and slow decrease in light level as an approaching storm.” 
Domestic animals, especially dogs, may react more to the behavior of humans around them than to their perceptions of the eclipse, said Kate Anderson, assistant professor of clinical sciences at Cornell's&nbsp;Duffield Institute for Animal Behavior. 
“Sometimes the behavior of humans can be more distressing for pets than the actual eclipse,” she said. “Dogs are more evolved to human behavior.” 
For anxious animals, especially dogs, any change in daily life at all, let alone “people deciding to bring animals to an eclipse viewing party or bring them outside,” can be stressful, she said. 
A 2020 paper also using data from that eclipse, memorably titled “Total Eclipse at the Zoo,” found that about three quarters of 17 animal species observed at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, showed some signs of unusual&nbsp;behavior during the eclipse,&nbsp;though it was hard to tell why. 
“Animals are more perceptive of things than we are, in certain respects,” said Adam Hartstone-Rose, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University and the paper’s lead author. “We think of an eclipse as really about light and the sun going away, but the other thing that happens is that the drop in light corresponds to a drop in temperature.” 
Hartstone-Rose noted the effect on Galapagos tortoises: “As the totality grew, they began moving more rapidly, and right at the peak, a pair of them started mating, which was remarkable to witness.” 
The tortoises' behavior was not necessarily the most memorable of that day, Hartstone-Rose said. The zoo’s siamangs, a kind of primate, “made a loud call we never heard them make before or since,” he said. 
 “It is unclear whether this response should be interpreted as an anxious response, or simply an anomalous behavior induced by changes in light and/or atmospheric pressure,” Hartstone-Rose and his colleagues wrote. 
Near totality, flamingoes “congregated tightly in the middle of their enclosure on a central island, with juveniles huddled in the center of the flock,” indicating anxiety, the researchers wrote. Some animals, like gorillas, appeared to behave as they would at night. Some, like kookaburras, exhibited no change in behavior. 
&quot;Scientific literature about animal behavior during eclipses remains a fairly niche topic,&quot; wrote Robert Ritson,&nbsp;Associate Research Scientist with the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Wyoming, who was lead author of a 2019 study comparing&nbsp;social media observations of animals during the 2017 eclipse to published research. 
That study suggested possible avenues for further &quot;citizen science&quot; research on the topic, broadening a body of literature that now includes many observational or experimental studies conducted decades ago, Ritson wrote. 
Some recent work, like Nilsson's, uses modern technologies to produce &quot;compelling results&quot; that are easier for other scientists to parse, Ritson wrote. He&nbsp;is leading a team that will use GPS data to see if changes in animal movement patterns occur&nbsp;during the eclipse. &quot;The influence of these events on daily behaviors of animals remains a curiosity,&quot; he wrote. 
Bill Fonda, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, wrote in an email&nbsp;that animals reactions to the eclipse will vary. Nocturnal animals will become active during the eclipse if they are in a place where they sense the change in light, he wrote.&nbsp; 
&quot;Birds that are singing will stop calling in the zone of totality and may be seen moving towards areas where they normally roost overnight as light fades. Insects normally active during the day may return to their hives or overnight roosting locations as the eclipse begins. Species normally active at night may become active, such as coyotes, crickets and cicadas, may begin calling as it becomes dark,&quot; Fonda wrote. 
Some impacts may be less pronounced in New York during this eclipse&nbsp;because most song birds have not yet returned or begun their breeding season, and many insect species are still dormant, especially Upstate.&nbsp; 
At the Long Island Game Farm in Manorville, director Greg Drossel said he wasn’t sure what to expect. Some animals are exquisitely sensitive to weather changes, he said. 
“When there’s a front coming through, a low coming through, deer don’t know whether it’s going to be a foot of snow or rain, so when they feel the low pressure, they’re going to feed,” Drossel said. 
Chickens and turkeys may roost; certain fish accustomed to hunting in low light may prowl. He said during the eclipse he'll&nbsp;try to observe the farm’s cockatoos, parakeets and primates. “You can read their reaction a little better than, say, a llama.” 
For Stony Brook University ecologist Carl Safina, the eclipse presents no window into the animal soul. “As cool and as unusual as a solar eclipse is, for other animals it is very much a passing thing,” he said. 
“On a conscious level, they might be a little confused,” he said, “but on a more deeply biological level, their biological clocks are still ticking — their melatonin levels and all the other chemical triggers that give senses of the day-night cycle will not have time to readjust. It’s almost like being in a room and someone turns out the light.”

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Solar eclipse may trigger behavior changes in the Earth's animals, birds and bees

How will the Earth's animals react to next week's solar eclipse?

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No one really knows if the animals at the Holtsville Ecology Site will be affected, but&nbsp;caretakers will be on site monitoring for potential changes in behaviors. NewsdayTV&#39;s&nbsp;Shari Einhorn reports.&nbsp;

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Keeping eye on eclipse and its effect on animals

'It's going to be all new for all of us'

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If you drive the Long Island Expressway, you've probably seen the signs: “Solar eclipse Monday. Take mass transit.” 
State officials are warning of traffic mayhem surrounding Monday's&nbsp;“Great North American Eclipse,” which will cut&nbsp;a 120-mile-wide swath of total darkness from Texas to Maine — including&nbsp;a portion of upstate New York.&nbsp; 
It will only last for&nbsp;several minutes, and Long Island will reach about 90% totality.&nbsp;Still, statewide travel warnings have been issued that include unusually heavy traffic into Tuesday.&nbsp; 
Suffolk police said Tuesday there were&nbsp;“no special preparations” being made to deal with traffic that day and Nassau&nbsp;police said they currently have no special advice for drivers. 
But AAA&nbsp;issued a list of do's and don'ts&nbsp;for drivers, including: Keep your vehicle's headlights on; lower the visor to block your view of the sun; don't try to photograph or video the eclipse while driving;&nbsp;and don't pull over to the side of heavily trafficked roads to view it. 
And, while NASA warns&nbsp;eclipse-rated glasses&nbsp;— thousands of times darker than normal sunglasses&nbsp;— are needed to safely view the eclipse, AAA reminds&nbsp;drivers not to wear them while driving. 
The eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean and cross North America beginning&nbsp;about 2:10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and ending at about 4:36 p.m., transiting over Mexico, the United States and Canada. 
In New York, the path of totality&nbsp;will cover a host of upstate areas, officials said, the largest among them Jamestown, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown and Plattsburgh. 
Officials said&nbsp;tens of thousands&nbsp;have booked stays in many upstate locations in the eclipse path, including a host of small&nbsp;rural towns and villages. 
That's where the bulk of any traffic concerns come in, with state officials warning of overburdened roads&nbsp;in locations not designed to handle it. 
“Travelers are encouraged to arrive at their destination early and leave well after the eclipse has ended,” officials said in a notice posted to the&nbsp;state Department of Transportation 511 NY website. 
In fact, AAA said its official car rental partner, Hertz, reported a 3,000% increase in advance bookings for locations in the projected eclipse path, with rentals beginning Saturday. Hotels in the eclipse path are reportedly 48% more expensive on average for eclipse weekend, AAA said. 
Even the Federal Aviation Administration is warning of potential air travel delays, citing&nbsp;“possible impacts to air traffic and airports along the eclipse path” between 6 a.m. Sunday and Wednesday, April 10. 
The National Weather Service is calling for sunny skies on Long Island and about&nbsp;60 degrees Monday.

Environment

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For Monday's solar eclipse, New York State, federal authorities issue travel alerts 

Travel alerts issued for Monday's eclipse

When the moon passes between the sun and the earth on April 8, many Long Islanders will be watching,&nbsp;some from schools and parks across the&nbsp;region, where the eclipse will be partial. Others will view it from hundreds of miles away on the “path of totality,” a narrow swath of the United States stretching from Texas to&nbsp;Maine, where the sky will turn dark. 
“I can’t explain how weird it is, and how unsettling,” said Tom Lynch, a retired accountant from Lynbrook and member of the Amateur Observers' Society of New York.&nbsp;He plans to view it from south of Dallas,&nbsp;a place he chose because of the likelihood of clear skies. 
Lynch traveled to Wyoming in 2017 to see the last total eclipse visible from the United States.&nbsp;“You could actually feel the temperature dropping” as the sun’s warmth ceased, he said. The world around him turned copper, then dark but for the light&nbsp;on the horizon. Full eclipse “was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. The sun looked “like a big black hole.” 
Long Island will experience about 90%&nbsp;of the eclipse. Although most of the sun will be blocked, experts have repeatedly warned that people should not look at&nbsp;the sun without special eclipse viewing glasses.&nbsp;Available for purchase in some stores or free&nbsp;at locations that include the welcome center off the Long Island Expressway in Dix Hills. Their lenses are tinted so dark as to be useless for anything less than a burning star.&nbsp; 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Amateur Observers' Society of New York member Tom Lynch models the special eclipse viewing glasses needed for the April 8 event.
" data-attr-credit="Newsday" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/53d67300-a49a-44c2-86ea-42d041942780" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/53d67300-a49a-44c2-86ea-42d041942780', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/53d67300-a49a-44c2-86ea-42d041942780"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/53d67300-a49a-44c2-86ea-42d041942780/LIECLIPSE2403xx3457449401.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Amateur Observers' Society of New York member Tom Lynch models the special eclipse viewing glasses needed for the April 8 event. </a> 
SUNY Old Westbury, which has&nbsp;an eclipse countdown clock on its website, and other schools are planning viewing parties. The Long Island director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, George Gorman, who oversees parks and beaches in the region, said his office planned viewing events at more than a half-dozen parks from Jones Beach to Montauk. 
The eclipse will be total upstate, and officials have said they expected hundreds of thousands of visitors to cities from Jamesport to Plattsburgh. Upstate campgrounds are booked solid and few hotel rooms are left, they said. The three Amtrak trains running from&nbsp;Manhattan's Moynihan Train Hall&nbsp;to&nbsp;Buffalo on April 7 sold out weeks before the eclipse.&nbsp; 
In a news conference this week, various Buffalo Bills&nbsp;players appeared on video warning people not to look directly at the sun. From Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, Kathryn Garcia,&nbsp;director of state operations,&nbsp;waxed about the “sun’s wispy outer atmosphere” and a “breathtakingly beautiful … 360-degree sunset.” Such a thing has not happened in New York since 1925 and will not happen again until 2079. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-onecms-id="contentid/62f9872d-5636-4b3c-9eec-92aa9081731f" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/62f9872d-5636-4b3c-9eec-92aa9081731f', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/62f9872d-5636-4b3c-9eec-92aa9081731f">STORYWIDGET: LIECLIPSE-countdown</a> 
<h2>18 months of planning</h2> 
Officials said they had spent the past 18 months planning to ensure bathroom capacity, cell service and road safety. 
Garcia and Jackie Bray, the state’s Homeland Security commissioner, said visitors should top off their fuel tanks before the eclipse, and travel with food, water and a blanket in their vehicles. More advice for those visiting upstate: don’t park your vehicle on the road shoulder for viewing, because emergency vehicles may need to get through; don’t wander unprepared into the backcountry in search of a viewing spot; consider wearing reds and greens, colors that will enhance the Purkinje effect, a visual phenomenon in which colors appear to shift with illumination. Also, “pack your patience,” Bray said. “You will be in traffic for several hours.” 
In an interview this week, Bray said some of her advice applied to those viewing from Long Island and other downstate regions,&nbsp;too: “We really don't want people pulling over on the side of the road. That puts other people in danger.” 
The viewing party at SUNY Old Westbury, which is building its physics program and will graduate its first majors in the subject next spring, is for incoming students&nbsp;and some area high schoolers, with snacks like&nbsp;mooncakes, &nbsp;telescopes, binoculars and viewing glasses.&nbsp; 
Matthew Lippert, a physicist who specializes in string theory, said Old Westbury’s educators saw in the eclipse “an opportunity to connect with people and teach them a little bit about astronomy and physics.” It also is convenient in that it is “one of the few astronomical events that happens during the day,” he said. In addition to the viewing party, the school is sending three charter buses with about 150 people to SUNY Oswego, on Lake Ontario, to view the total eclipse. The drive takes about 5&frac12; hours. 
At Camera Concepts and Telescope Solutions, a Stony Brook shop that bills itself as Long Island's&nbsp;largest telescope distributor — there are not many — customers are talking about the eclipse “every day,” manager Bill Keenan said. “Glasses are selling really well,” as are binoculars, which can be used with solar filters. The glasses cost $4.99 each, the binoculars $40 and up, he said. 
<h2>Traveling to the path of totality</h2> 
Keenan said many of his customers planned to travel to the path of totality. “They’ve got hotels, campers, they’ve got a whole plan,” Keenan said. He plans to spend the eclipse at Southold’s Custer Institute, the oldest public observatory on Long Island. 
Jason Cousins, president of the Amateur Observers Society, said the group would&nbsp;host a “solar jamboree” for the public on the day of the eclipse on the Custer’s grounds. 
As many as three quarters of the club’s 350 members plan to travel to the path of totality, said Cousins, who lives in Mineola and is a project executive for the construction company Posillico. Cousins said he planned to go to Niagara Falls. When a total eclipse occurs within driving distance, “most of us, we go when we can,” he said. For skywatchers who don’t chase eclipses around the globe, this one “is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event,” he said. 
The Custer Institute and Observatory’s eclipse event sold out several weeks ahead of the eclipse, though people can visit this Saturday or next to buy viewing glasses, said vice president Alan Cousins, who is not related to Jason Cousins. Most of Cousins’ skywatching acquaintances plan to travel to the path of totality, Cousins said. He will decide whether to travel to northern Vermont or stay on Long Island based on weather in the days before the eclipse, he said. 
<h2>Chasing eclipses</h2> 
Dr. Joel Moskowitz, an obstetrician and&nbsp;member of both the Astronomical Society of Long Island and the Amateur Observers, won't stay&nbsp;close to home. Moskowitz, of Roslyn Heights and Boca Raton, Florida, will watch this eclipse in Kerrville, Texas, not far from the Mexico border. 
Moskowitz has chased eclipses in Siberia, Easter Island, Kenya and Bolivia, where he and his companions discovered that their chosen viewing spot also was&nbsp;a llama bedding spot. The llamas treated the eclipse as nighttime and did not seem to mind the interlopers. Moskowitz said he had&nbsp;seen 20 total eclipses, three annular&nbsp;and two partial. An annular eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth but is so far from the earth it does not completely block the sun. A partial eclipse happens when the sun, moon and earth are not perfectly lined up, so only part of the sun will appear to be covered.&nbsp; 
“I’m a man of science, but you can immediately understand why ancient peoples reacted” in awe and sometimes fear, Moskowitz said. “Getting very dark, seeing the sun disappear before your eyes in the middle of the day, is something that we’re not genetically programmed to see.”

LIECLIPSE240331

liECLIPSE240331_photos

For April 8 eclipse, totality will draw some upstate while others will stay on LI for a partial experience

For eclipse, some LIers head to totality; others to stay close

WASHINGTON — While eclipse watchers look to the skies, people who are blind or visually impaired will be able to hear and feel the celestial event.
Sound and touch devices will be available at public gatherings on April 8, when a total solar eclipse crosses North America, the moon blotting out the sun for a few minutes.
“Eclipses are very beautiful things, and everyone should be able to experience it once in their lifetime,” said Yuki Hatch, a high school senior in Austin, Texas.
Hatch is a visually impaired student and a space enthusiast who hopes to one day become a computer scientist for NASA. On eclipse day, she and her classmates at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired plan to sit outside in the school’s grassy quad and listen to a small device called a LightSound box that translates changing light into sounds.
When the sun is bright, there will be high, delicate flute notes. As the moon begins to cover the sun, the mid-range notes are those of a clarinet. Darkness is rendered by a low clicking sound.
“I’m looking forward to being able to actually hear the eclipse instead of seeing it,” said Hatch.
The LightSound device is the result of a collaboration between Wanda D&iacute;az-Merced, an astronomer who is blind, and Harvard astronomer Allyson Bieryla. D&iacute;az-Merced regularly translates her data into audio to analyze patterns for her research.
A prototype was first used during the 2017 total solar eclipse that crossed the U.S., and the handheld device has been used at other eclipses. 
This year, they are working with other institutions with the goal of distributing at least 750 devices to locations hosting eclipse events in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. They held workshops at universities and museums to construct the devices, and provide DIY instructions on the group's website.
“The sky belongs to everyone. And if this event is available to the rest of the world, it has to be available for the blind, too,” said D&iacute;az-Merced. “I want students to be able to hear the eclipse, to hear the stars.&quot;
The Perkins Library — associated with the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts — plans to broadcast the changing tones of the LightSound device over Zoom for members to listen online and by telephone, said outreach manager Erin Fragola.
In addition to students, many of the library’s senior patrons have age-related vision loss, he said.
 “We try to find ways to make things more accessible for everyone,” he said.
Others will experience the solar event through the sense of touch, with the Cadence tablet from Indiana's Tactile Engineering. The tablet is about the size of a cellphone with rows of dots that pop up and down. It can be used for a variety of purposes: reading Braille, feeling graphics and movie clips, playing video games.
For the eclipse, &quot;A student can put their hand over the device and feel the moon slowly move over the sun,&quot; said Tactile Engineering’s Wunji Lau. 
The Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired started incorporating the tablet into its curriculum last year. Some of the school’s students experienced last October’s “ring of fire” eclipse with the tablet.
Sophomore Jazmine Nelson is looking forward to joining the crowd expected at NASA's big eclipse-watching event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the tablet will be available.
With the tablet, “You can feel like you’re a part of something,” she said.
Added her classmate Minerva Pineda-Allen, a junior. “This is a very rare opportunity, I might not get this opportunity again.”

Nation/World

AP-US-SCI-Total-Solar-Eclipse-Blind, 1st Ld-Writethru

Blind people can hear and feel April's total solar eclipse with new technology

Total Solar Eclipse Blind

Scott Vogel

April 8 will offer many New Yorkers their one-and-only chance to experience a total solar eclipse in person, a celestial rarity worth traveling to see. 
The&nbsp;phenomenon is&nbsp;when the moon passes between the sun and earth, either fully or partially blocking&nbsp;the sun's light. While it's true that 88% of the sun will be in shadow on Long Island (89% in New York City), if it’s complete darkness in the daytime that you seek, you’ll have to make your way to <a href="http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html?Lat=43.97478&amp;Lng=-75.91076&amp;Elv=144.0&amp;Zoom=7&amp;LC=1" target="_blank">Western New York</a>. Towns big and small, along with parks, campgrounds, wineries, restaurants — you name it — are hoping to entice visitors for the day or perhaps even an eclipse weekend. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="The I LOVE NY Path of Totality Poster for the total solar eclipse that will take place on April 8 and will be visible across a swath of New York State.
" data-attr-credit="" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/20dcd184-a844-454b-9edc-04c3792a8ea8" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/20dcd184-a844-454b-9edc-04c3792a8ea8', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/20dcd184-a844-454b-9edc-04c3792a8ea8"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/20dcd184-a844-454b-9edc-04c3792a8ea8/e70470b2af98a205822c9702bcbc339d29b9b104.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />The I LOVE NY Path of Totality Poster for the total solar eclipse that will take place on April 8 and will be visible across a swath of New York State. </a> 
“This one will be a little more special,” said Victoria Burch, marketing coordinator for the Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau, speaking of her previous partial eclipse experience a few years back when she lived in Virginia. This time, not only will New York’s westernmost county be plunged into total darkness for more than three minutes, they will also be among the first in the state to witness the spectacle, something they can do in many ways. “There are tons of events going on all weekend,” Burch said. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="The moon transits the sun during the 2017 total solar eclipse as seen from Weiser, Idaho; Using a welder's mask as protection, a man views a total eclipse in Piedra del Aguila, Argentina, in December 2020; Members of the British Astronomers Association prepare their telescopes at their campsite near Truro, England, in August 1999, preparing for a total solar eclipse the next day. " data-attr-credit="" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/a9fbdae8-09c3-4ef6-8fde-8e281453059f" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/a9fbdae8-09c3-4ef6-8fde-8e281453059f', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/a9fbdae8-09c3-4ef6-8fde-8e281453059f"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/a9fbdae8-09c3-4ef6-8fde-8e281453059f/43cbcd117aba166f6b1b3b97ff6dcdbd75533dbd.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />The moon transits the sun during the 2017 total solar eclipse as seen from Weiser, Idaho; Using a welder's mask as protection, a man views a total eclipse in Piedra del Aguila, Argentina, in December 2020; Members of the British Astronomers Association prepare their telescopes at their campsite near Truro, England, in August 1999, preparing for a total solar eclipse the next day. </a> 
<h2>THE ADIRONDACKS</h2> 
Distance from Long Island: About 6 hours 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="
	Walk scenic trails by river in Ausable Chasm in the Adirondack Mountains.

" data-attr-credit="Universal Images Group via Getty Images" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/9e1c4529-0afd-4884-9a9f-93be9c67d82c" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/9e1c4529-0afd-4884-9a9f-93be9c67d82c', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/9e1c4529-0afd-4884-9a9f-93be9c67d82c"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/9e1c4529-0afd-4884-9a9f-93be9c67d82c/TRCOV220638.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> Walk scenic trails by river in Ausable Chasm in the Adirondack Mountains. </a> 
Many wishing to experience the total eclipse in a gorgeous natural setting will no doubt be drawn to the Adirondack Mountains, which will present challenges during early spring, a time when changing weather conditions can make things dangerous for inexperienced hikers. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (<a href="https://www.roostadk.com/">ROOST</a>) and other organizations suggest visitors avoid the backcountry and instead patronize the area’s many other events. 
The Olympic Center (3:21 p.m.):&nbsp;The Glow for the Gold event gives eclipse attendees the chance to see the spectacle for free from the speed skating oval at the Olympic Center (glasses provided, subject to capacity; 2634 Main St., Lake Placid, 518-523-1655, <a href="https://lakeplacidolympiccenter.com">lakeplacidolympiccenter.com</a>) 
Whiteface Club and Resort (3:25 p.m.):&nbsp;The resort is holding a watch party that includes a buffet, drink specials, live music and complimentary glasses in a spectacular setting ($100, reservations required). 
Ausable Chasm (3:27 p.m.):&nbsp;The scenic canyon offers a package that includes parking, glasses and access to five miles of hiking trails and a “solar flats” viewing area ($19.95; 2144 US-9, Ausable Chasm, 518- 834-7454, <a href="https://ausablechasm.com">ausablechasm.com</a>) 
Wilmington’s Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort (3:26 p.m.):&nbsp;The resort will offer $40 lift tickets that day (skiing pre- and post-eclipse only), a price that includes a program including live music, complimentary safety glasses and spectacular eclipse viewing from the mountain top’s Cloudspin Bar &amp; Grill. Visitors can ride the Cloudsplitter Gondola and watch the eclipse from Little Whiteface Deck ($50, tickets on sale March 20; 125-person limit; 373 Whiteface Inn Lane, Lake Placid, 518-523-2551, <a href="https://whitefaceclubresort.com/">whitefaceclubresort.com</a>). 
Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory (3:33 p.m.):&nbsp;The area’s only public astronomy organization will host free weekend-long events including family activities, music, food, art projects and more (178 Big Wolf Rd., Tupper Lake, (518) 359-3538, <a href="https://www.adirondackskycenter.org/">adirondackskycenter.org</a>). 
More info: <a href="https://visitadirondacks.com">visitadirondacks.com</a> 
<h2>BUFFALO</h2> 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="A total solar eclipse April 8 will enter over Mexico&amp;rsquo;s Pacific coast, dash up through Texas and Oklahoma, crisscross the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England, before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic. 
" data-attr-credit="AP" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/4a9e9f25-58af-4c84-a06b-40dbf5406324" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/4a9e9f25-58af-4c84-a06b-40dbf5406324', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/4a9e9f25-58af-4c84-a06b-40dbf5406324"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/4a9e9f25-58af-4c84-a06b-40dbf5406324/TRSOLAR240403.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />A total solar eclipse April 8 will enter over Mexico&amp;rsquo;s Pacific coast, dash up through Texas and Oklahoma, crisscross the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England, before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic. </a> 
Distance from Long Island: About 7 hours 
Visitors to areas northeast of Chautauqua will see some of the longest periods of total darkness in the state. 
Kelkenberg Farm in Clarence Center (3:44 p.m.): A family-friendly option is watching the eclipse with fellow mammals. The center is planning hay rides, barnyard activities and more ($15 per person; 9270 Wolcott Rd., Clarence Center, 716-741-4862, <a href="https://kelkenbergfarm.com/contact-us/">kelkenbergfarm.com</a>). 
Hofbr&auml;uhaus Buffalo: The Buffalo Philharmonic starts the weekend off April 5-6 with a program featuring selections from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” ($12-$108). There will also be a silent disco pre-eclipse party ($10-$20) at the German microbrewery April 5 (190 Scott St., 716-939-2337, <a href="https://www.hofbrauhausbuffalo.com/">hofbrauhausbuffalo.com</a>). 
USS Little Rock in Buffalo Naval Park: Children 6-18 (with a parent) can spend the night before the eclipse onboard the cruiser sleeping in restored berths, eating in the mess hall and the like ($175 a person, 1 Naval Park Cove, 716-847-1773, <a href="https://buffalonavalpark.org">buffalonavalpark.org</a>) 
More info: <a href="https://www.visitbuffaloniagara.com/">visitbuffaloniagara.com</a> 
<h2>NIAGARA FALLS</h2> 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="
	Aerial view of Horseshoe Fall of the Niagara Falls is seen on a hot and sunny day.

" data-attr-credit="LightRocket via Getty Images" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/5e3e3d88-6190-4f77-b031-aa29b8c54fbb" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/5e3e3d88-6190-4f77-b031-aa29b8c54fbb', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/5e3e3d88-6190-4f77-b031-aa29b8c54fbb"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/5e3e3d88-6190-4f77-b031-aa29b8c54fbb/TRCOV220627.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> Aerial view of Horseshoe Fall of the Niagara Falls is seen on a hot and sunny day. </a> 
Distance from Long Island: About 7 hours 
Niagara Falls State Park (3:32 p.m.): The park will be a prime viewing spot for the eclipse, the town itself is hosting a post-eclipse fireworks show downtown the same night. (332 Prospect St.,716-278-1794, <a href="https://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/">niagarafallsstatepark.com</a>) 
More info:&nbsp;<a href="https://visitbuffaloniagara.com">visitbuffaloniagara.com</a> 
<h2>ROCHESTER</h2> 
Distance from Long Island: About 6 hours 
Rochester’s Roc the Eclipse 2024: The weekend-long event grants&nbsp;access to Rochester’s Museum and Science Center, planetarium, special guest speakers, lectures, exhibitions and a post-eclipse concert ($50; 657 East Ave., 585-271-4320, ​​​​​​<a href="https://visitrochester.com">rmsc.org</a>). 
Genesee Country Village &amp; Museum (3:35 p.m.):&nbsp;The museum invites families to imagine what the eclipse experience might have been like in a 19th-century town. Tickets — starting at $55 a person or $225 for a carload, with premium packages available — grant access to the 600-acre grounds as well as open-air viewing on South Field (1410 Flint Hill Rd., Mumford, 585-538-6822, <a href="https://gcv.org">gcv.org</a>) 
More info: <a href="https://visitrochester.com">visitrochester.com</a> 
<h2>OSWEGO</h2> 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Take a trip to the State University of New York at Oswego for free lectures and planetarium shows.
" data-attr-credit="Getty Images/iStockphoto" data-attr-f="3x2" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/4c565a04-8eca-4c9a-8775-eee8b92f21a4" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/4c565a04-8eca-4c9a-8775-eee8b92f21a4', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/4c565a04-8eca-4c9a-8775-eee8b92f21a4"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/4c565a04-8eca-4c9a-8775-eee8b92f21a4/GettyImages-999678528.jpg?f=3x2&amp;w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Take a trip to the State University of New York at Oswego for free lectures and planetarium shows. </a> 
Distance from Long Island: About 6 hours 
Full eclipse viewing time: 3:26 p.m. 
Calling itself an “Eclipse Getaway,” the town has a list of hotels and campgrounds still available and info on the best places for eclipse-watching (<a href="https://www.oswegony.org/solar-eclipse?__cf_chl_tk=b5Llnwi75zc5W4FNzlRDO98sHJF8YFlpgAPyVlY4RDA-1710348046-0.0.1.1-1493">oswegony.org</a>). 
SUNY Oswego: The school will feature free lectures and planetarium shows (7060 State Route 104, 315-312-2500, <a href="https://oswego.edu">oswego.edu</a>). 
Best Western Oswego Plus: Oswego Eclipse Extravaganza packages starting at $539 a night includes overnight accommodations and viewing glasses, as well as admission to a block party and post-eclipse concert (26 East 1st St., 315-342-4040, <a href="https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/oswego/hotel-rooms/best-western-plus-oswego-hotel-and-conference-center/propertyCode.33066.html">bestwestern.com</a>). 
More info: <a href="https://visitoswegocounty.com/">visitoswegocounty.com</a> 
<h2>CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY</h2> 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption=" The entrance to the Long Point State Park on Lake Chautauqua." data-attr-credit="Getty Images" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/3736e01a-7138-4636-ad77-50ea8d116577" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/3736e01a-7138-4636-ad77-50ea8d116577', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/3736e01a-7138-4636-ad77-50ea8d116577"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/3736e01a-7138-4636-ad77-50ea8d116577/GettyImages-1498764146.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" /> The entrance to the Long Point State Park on Lake Chautauqua.</a> 
Distance from Long Island: About 7 hours 
Long Point State Park (3:14 p.m.): Head to the 360-acre park, which is on a peninsula on the east side of Lake Chautauqua for a free and quiet viewing experience (4459, Route 430, Bemus Point, 716-386-2722, <a href="https://parks.ny.gov/parks/longpointchautauqua/getting-there.aspx">parks.ny.gov</a>). 
Midway State Park (3:22 p.m.): A somewhat livelier time might be had at one of the country’s oldest amusement parks, which is normally closed in May but is opening for the occasion. Rides and attractions will not be available but admission is free and the first 500 visitors will receive a pair of eclipse viewing glasses (4859 Rte. 430, Bemus Point, 716-386-3165, <a href="https://parks.ny.gov/parks/midway">parks.ny.gov</a>). 
Lake Erie Wine Country: The Lights Out! grants weekend-long access to up to 21 local wineries all over the area — many of them offering music, merch and food — along with a pair of NASA-approved eclipse viewing glasses ($50 at a participating winery; <a href="https://lakeeriewinecountry.org">lakeeriewinecountry.org</a>). 
More info: <a href="https://tourchautauqua.com">tourchautauqua.com</a> 
<h2>SYRACUSE</h2> 
Distance from Long Island: About 5 hours&nbsp; 
While the city will experience one of the shortest periods of totality, it also requires the shortest amount of travel time for Long Islanders. 
NBT Bank Stadium: Home of the Syracuse Mets, the stadium will host&nbsp;Total Eclipse of the Park, offering free eclipse glasses to the first 10,000 fans&nbsp;who can also watch a post-eclipse ballgame against the Worcester Red Sox (tickets $21-$45). (One Tex Simone Dr.,&nbsp;315-474-7833,&nbsp;<a href="https://onondagacountyparks.com">onondagacountyparks.com</a>) 
More info:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.visitsyracuse.com/">visitsyracuse.com</a> 
<h2>TRANSPORTATION</h2> 
&nbsp; 
Traffic on interstates and other major highways is expected to be heavy, so plan accordingly. Or take Amtrak’s Adirondack train from New York’s Penn Station to a town in the path of totality. Tickets for a seven-plus-hour train to Plattsburgh that leaves April&nbsp;7 and returns April&nbsp;9 are currently going for $181 round-trip. Nonstop flights for the same dates from area airports to Buffalo and Rochester are available but pricey ($700-plus) range, or about $263 to Syracuse. 
<a class="p-smartembed" data-attr-caption="Visitors view an eclipse of the sun from the top deck of New York's Empire State Building on Aug. 31, 1932; A crowd watches a partial solar eclipse in August 2017 in New York City; A young shepherd carries a goat as he watches a partial solar eclipse in the village of Bqosta in Lebanon in March 2006." data-attr-credit="" data-attr-has-caption="true" data-attr-has-credit="true" data-attr-q="0.3" data-attr-w="400" data-onecms-id="contentid/5e65f6ec-0895-4617-b807-50f58782538a" data-onecms-type="image" href="javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:'contentid/5e65f6ec-0895-4617-b807-50f58782538a', $action:'view', $target:'work'})" polopoly:contentid="contentid/5e65f6ec-0895-4617-b807-50f58782538a"><img src="/image-service/alias/contentid/5e65f6ec-0895-4617-b807-50f58782538a/538b143373c6d832b633aa01616ac9354cdc9328.jpg?w=400&amp;q=0.3" />Visitors view an eclipse of the sun from the top deck of New York's Empire State Building on Aug. 31, 1932; A crowd watches a partial solar eclipse in August 2017 in New York City; A young shepherd carries a goat as he watches a partial solar eclipse in the village of Bqosta in Lebanon in March 2006.</a>

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NYS spots to watch the total solar eclipse

7 upstate NY roadtrips to see April's total solar eclipse

Brianne Ledda

New Yorkers, get ready. 
The first&nbsp;total solar eclipse to encompass the state&nbsp;in nearly a century will pass over 29 counties on April 8. Although Long Island isn’t in the path of totality, when the moon covers the bright face of the sun, the Island can still expect to see 88% of the celestial event. 
The total eclipse will encompass the western and northern parts of New York that Monday afternoon, according to state officials, with the moon passing between the earth and sun. The eclipse should occur&nbsp;between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. 
Sunlight will be blocked for about&nbsp;1&frac12; to 3&frac12; minutes.&nbsp;The entire event, from the time the sun is first obstructed to the last moments the moon’s shadow is cast, will last up to 2&frac12;&nbsp;hours, the state said. 
The path&nbsp;where the eclipse will&nbsp;completely block out the sun, roughly 100 miles wide,&nbsp;will begin in&nbsp;southwestern New York just after 3:15 and depart northern New York&nbsp;just before 3:30 p.m., affecting cities and towns that include Buffalo, Lake Placid, Plattsburgh, Rochester and Syracuse, according to the state. 
The rest of New York is still expected to see anywhere from 88% to more than 99% coverage, with Long Island seeing the least solar coverage. New York City will see 89% coverage. 
The partial eclipse on Long Island might show as a “slight darkening of the sky,” said Dave Bush, planetarium director at the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium. 
“The moon will cover most of the sun,” Bush said,&nbsp;“but just a little thin sliver of the sun will still be there, and even with that small, thin sliver of the sun still visible, it looks like an ordinary day.” 
Stony Brook University physics and astronomy professor Frederick Walter said even if the sun was 90% blocked, it will still burn an observer's retina during a total&nbsp;eclipse. He advised&nbsp;Long Islanders who plan to view the event&nbsp;to purchase certified eye protection, not sunglasses, and to avoid looking directly at the sun. 
“It's the last total solar eclipse in the continental&nbsp;United States until the year 2044,” he said. “If you've never seen a total eclipse of the sun, it's worth seeing.” 
Bush said if the skies are clear, the Vanderbilt Planetarium will have a solar telescope available for visitors. 
“My best recommendation for any Long Islander, if they're capable of doing it, take the time to take a road trip. It is a very rare opportunity,” he said. 
The next total solar eclipse to pass over New York will be in 2079. 
State officials have said they expected&nbsp;hundreds of thousands of solar tourists to swarm the state for the once-in-a-generation spectacle. 
Over the last year, nearly two dozen state agencies and authorities have worked with local governments to accommodate the influx of tourists and ensure public safety during the event. 
One focus of the interagency task force is encouraging eclipse viewers to stay after it ends,&nbsp;partially to avoid massive backups like the one seen after a cross-country&nbsp;eclipse in 2017 that ran from Oregon to South Carolina. 
Viewers should avoid stopping on busy roads to view it, officials advised. 
The marketing campaign “I LOVE NY” has launched a website with more details about <a href="https://www.iloveny.com/events/eclipse-2024/">how to view the eclipse</a>. 
Bush also recommended viewing information about&nbsp;the eclipse's path&nbsp;at <a href="https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse_cities/statemap.html">Eclipse2024.org</a>.

LIECLIPSE240122

Long Island preparing for New York's solar eclipse

LI preps for NY's solar eclipse

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DALLAS — Millions of people along a narrow band in North America will look up when the sky darkens during a total solar eclipse on April 8. When they do, safety is key.
Staring directly at the sun during a solar eclipse or at any other time can lead to permanent eye damage. The eclipse is only safe to witness with the naked eye during totality, or the period of total darkness when the moon completely covers the sun.
Those eager to experience the eclipse should buy eclipse glasses from a reputable vendor. Sunglasses are not protective enough, and binoculars and telescopes without a proper solar filter can magnify light from the sun, making them unsafe.
“Please, please put those glasses on,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. 
Where to find eclipse glasses
Since counterfeit glasses abound, consider purchasing glasses from a local science museum or order online from a seller cleared on the American Astronomical Society’s website.
Eclipse safety experts say legitimate eclipse glasses should block out ultraviolet light from the sun and nearly all visible light. When worn indoors, only very bright lights should be faintly visible – not household furniture or wallpaper.
Old eclipse glasses from the 2017 total solar eclipse or October's “ring of fire” annular eclipse are safe to reuse, as long as they aren't warped and don't have scratches or holes.
Glasses should say they comply with ISO 12312-2 standards, though fake suppliers can also print this language on their products. NASA does not approve or certify eclipse glasses. 
How to view the eclipse without glasses
If you don't have eclipse glasses, you can still enjoy the spectacle through indirect ways such as making a pinhole projector using household materials.
Poke a hole through a piece of cardstock or cardboard, hold it up during the eclipse and look down to see a partial crescent projected below. Holding up a colander or a cracker will produce a similar effect.
Another trick: Peering at the ground under a shady tree can yield crescent shadows as the sunlight filters through branches and leaves.
Eye experts warn against viewing the eclipse through a phone camera. The sun’s bright rays can also damage a phone’s digital components.
Why looking at a solar eclipse is dangerous
Eye damage can occur without proper protection. The sun's bright rays can burn cells in the retina at the back of the eye. The retina doesn’t have pain receptors, so there’s no way to feel the damage as it happens. Once the cells die, they don’t come back.
Symptoms of solar eye damage, called solar retinopathy, include blurred vision and color distortion.
In a rare case of eclipse eye damage, a woman who viewed the 2017 eclipse without adequate protection came to Mount Sinai’s New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, complaining of a black spot in her vision. Doctors discovered retinal damage that corresponded to the eclipse’s shape.
“The dark spot she was describing was in the shape of a crescent,” said Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, a Mount Sinai ophthalmologist.
There’s no set rule for how long of a glance can lead to permanent damage. Severity varies based on cloudiness, air pollution and a person's vantage point. 
But doctors say looking at a solar eclipse for even a few seconds unprotected isn’t worth the risk. There are reports of solar retinopathy after every solar eclipse, and U.S. eye doctors saw dozens of extra visits after the one in 2017.
Spectators who plan ahead can secure a stress-free eclipse viewing experience.
“It can be dangerous if we aren’t careful, but it’s also very safe if we take the basic precautions,” said Dr. Geoffrey Emerson, a board member of the American Society of Retina Specialists.

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