Total Eclipse of the Port

An eclipse is a shadow show. In a solar eclipse, the new Moon’s position between the Sun and the Earth leads to its shadow blocking part of the Sun as seen from part of the Earth. In a total solar eclipse, the Moon’s shadow briefly covers the entire bright disk of the Sun within a narrow ”path of totality.“ The next total solar eclipse occurs on Monday, April 8, 2024, and Brockport, NY, lies along the center of the path of totality!

Brockport’s location on the central line of totality means that we will experience a longer period of totality than locations further from the center, such as 0:05 seconds more than our neighbors in the city of Rochester. The centerline passes over Brockport High School, then grazes the University’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium and practice field before continuing over Brockport’s Oliver Middle School.

A total solar eclipse is one of the locally rarest and most spectacular events in nature. During the partial phases before and after totality, the surrounding landscape is gradually transformed by eerie, dim light and strangely sharp shadows. At totality, the sky becomes as dark as deep twilight, the brightest stars and planets are visible, and the Sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona, shines around the black disk of the Moon’s silhouette. Changes in temperature, winds, and animal behavior occur during the time around totality. The experience is emotionally powerful and unforgettable.

The eclipse begins in Brockport at 2:07 pm EST, as the Moon begins to cover the Sun. This partial phase can be observed using a safe solar viewing method over the next 73 minutes, as the Moon covers more and more of the Sun. Totality on campus begins just before 3:20 pm and lasts 3 minutes 43 seconds. After totality, the Moon gradually uncovers the Sun in a second partial phase. The eclipse ends for Brockport viewers just after 4:33 pm.

Like hiking in the woods, riding a bicycle, or cooking on an outdoor grill, eclipse viewing is safe, enjoyable, and worthwhile if you equip yourself with some basic information and take simple precautions. To prevent eye damage, do not look directly at the Sun during the partial phases of an eclipse. (You wouldn’t normally do that anyway, but during an eclipse, the Sun is more interesting than usual.) Never look into a mirror at a reflected image of the Sun. Instead, direct viewing is possible through a filter or “glasses” made specifically for solar viewing. It’s also easy to view the Sun indirectly, letting the Sun’s light pass through a pinhole and then observing its image projected onto a surface.

It is safe to look directly at the Sun only during the few minutes of totality. (There are no such things as dangerous rays that come only during eclipses.)

The last time Rochester experienced a total solar eclipse was in 1925. The next one will be in 2144. This makes the 2024 Eclipse a once-in-our-lifetime event.