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117-559: The museum had a four-day festival for the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 but the day was cloudy. Outside of the museum, the Regional Green infrastructure Showcase teaches about the benefits of capturing and controlling stormwater runoff and green infrastructure in general. The museum also hosts temporary and traveling exhibits . In past years, these have included Frogs: A Chorus of Colors , Da Vinci—The Genius , DINOSAURS , Math Midway and Alien Worlds and Androids . The museum

234-657: A battle between the Medes and the Lydians . Both sides put down their weapons and declared peace as a result of the eclipse. The exact eclipse involved remains uncertain, although the issue has been studied by hundreds of ancient and modern authorities. One likely candidate took place on May 28, 585 BC, probably near the Halys river in Asia Minor . An eclipse recorded by Herodotus before Xerxes departed for his expedition against Greece , which

351-773: A decrease from 12,000 MW to just over 3,000 MW at 2 p.m. Wind power generation also decreased by about 50% that day. However, there were no disruptions in power distribution as supply exceeded demand. At Yankee Stadium , the Yankees gave away eclipse T-shirts to the first 15,000 fans at the game that day. The eclipse had pushed the start time back by four hours. Highways in the area of totality saw significant increases in traffic, with departing tourists caught in traffic jams lasting up to eight hours. Many of those trying to drive down Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, for example, found themselves in jams lasting until at least 2 a.m.

468-540: A fortuitous combination of circumstances. Even on Earth, the diversity of eclipses familiar to people today is a temporary (on a geological time scale) phenomenon. Hundreds of millions of years in the past, the Moon was closer to Earth and therefore apparently larger, so every solar eclipse was total or partial, and there were no annular eclipses. Due to tidal acceleration , the orbit of the Moon around Earth becomes approximately 3.8 cm more distant each year. Millions of years in

585-469: A four-story dome. The Cumming Nature Center , also owned by RMSC, is a 900-acre nature preserve near Naples, New York, dedicated to environmental education. It has over six miles of trails and offers educational programs and service opportunities. 43°9′9.2″N 77°35′14.8″W  /  43.152556°N 77.587444°W  / 43.152556; -77.587444 Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 , also known as

702-624: A lack of synchronization with the anomalistic month (period of perigee). However, groupings of 3 inex cycles (≈ 87 years minus 2 months) comes close (≈ 1,151.02 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings. Solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun , thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs approximately every six months, during

819-462: A longer lens is needed (over 500 mm). As with viewing the Sun directly, looking at it through the optical viewfinder of a camera can produce damage to the retina, so care is recommended. Solar filters are required for digital photography even if an optical viewfinder is not used. Using a camera's live view feature or an electronic viewfinder is safe for the human eye, but the Sun's rays could potentially irreparably damage digital image sensors unless

936-400: A magnitude of 1.0306. The eclipse occurred around the solar maximum , a period of greatest solar activity in the Sun's 11-year solar cycle , and it was anticipated that solar prominences would be visible during totality. Many observers reported seeing solar prominences during the event. Most plainly visible to the naked eye was a very bright red point of light near the lowest portion of

1053-454: A maximum of a few minutes at any location because the Moon's umbra moves eastward at over 1700 km/h (1100 mph; 470 m/s; 1500 ft/s). Totality currently can never last more than 7 min 32 s. This value changes over the millennia and is currently decreasing. By the 8th millennium, the longest theoretically possible total eclipse will be less than 7 min 2 s. The last time an eclipse longer than 7 minutes occurred

1170-491: A more precise alignment between the centers of the Sun and Moon , and because the Moon's apparent size in the sky is sometimes too small to fully cover the Sun. An eclipse is a natural phenomenon . In some ancient and modern cultures, solar eclipses were attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens . Astronomers' predictions of eclipses began in China as early as the 4th century BC; eclipses hundreds of years into

1287-748: A native of the Rochester area, became the 7th President and CEO of the RMSC. Olson has a rich museum and planetarium background and has worked at the Franklin Institute Science Museum, the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium. [2] The Strasenburgh Planetarium, owned by RMSC, is located next to the museum. Open since 1968, the planetarium features star shows, giant-screen films and laser light shows under

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1404-590: A partial eclipse at the opposite polar region. A saros series lasts 1226 to 1550 years and 69 to 87 eclipses, with about 40 to 60 of them being central. Between two and five solar eclipses occur every year, with at least one per eclipse season . Since the Gregorian calendar was instituted in 1582, years that have had five solar eclipses were 1693, 1758, 1805, 1823, 1870, and 1935. The next occurrence will be 2206. On average, there are about 240 solar eclipses each century. Total solar eclipses are seen on Earth because of

1521-444: A partial solar eclipse on May 17, 1501. It contains hybrid eclipses from August 11, 1627 through December 9, 1825 and total eclipses from December 21, 1843 through March 26, 2601. There are no annular eclipses in this set. The series ends at member 71 as a partial eclipse on July 3, 2763. Its eclipses are tabulated in three columns; every third eclipse in the same column is one exeligmos apart, so they all cast shadows over approximately

1638-420: A practically identical eclipse will occur. The most notable difference will be a westward shift of about 120° in longitude (due to the 0.3 days) and a little in latitude (north-south for odd-numbered cycles, the reverse for even-numbered ones). A saros series always starts with a partial eclipse near one of Earth's polar regions, then shifts over the globe through a series of annular or total eclipses, and ends with

1755-455: A solar eclipse was taken on July 28, 1851, by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski , using the daguerreotype process. Photographing an eclipse is possible with fairly common camera equipment. In order for the disk of the Sun/Moon to be easily visible, a fairly high magnification long focus lens is needed (at least 200 mm for a 35 mm camera), and for the disk to fill most of the frame,

1872-543: A state of emergency in February 2024 due to the projected number of visitors to the area. The region surrounding Niagara Falls, Ontario , also declared a state of emergency; as an existing major tourist destination along the path of totality, it expected an influx of at least one million visitors on April 8. A lawsuit was filed on April 2 by six inmates of various religions at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in New York against

1989-501: A total eclipse and only very briefly; it does not occur during a partial or annular eclipse). Viewing the Sun's disk through any kind of optical aid (binoculars, a telescope, or even an optical camera viewfinder) is extremely hazardous and can cause irreversible eye damage within a fraction of a second. Viewing the Sun during partial and annular eclipses (and during total eclipses outside the brief period of totality) requires special eye protection, or indirect viewing methods if eye damage

2106-420: A total eclipse occurs. The Moon orbits Earth in approximately 27.3 days, relative to a fixed frame of reference . This is known as the sidereal month . However, during one sidereal month, Earth has revolved part way around the Sun, making the average time between one new moon and the next longer than the sidereal month: it is approximately 29.5 days. This is known as the synodic month and corresponds to what

2223-481: A total solar eclipse was made in France in 1706. Nine years later, English astronomer Edmund Halley accurately predicted and observed the solar eclipse of May 3, 1715 . By the mid-19th century, scientific understanding of the Sun was improving through observations of the Sun's corona during solar eclipses. The corona was identified as part of the Sun's atmosphere in 1842 , and the first photograph (or daguerreotype ) of

2340-545: A variety of ecosystems on wild-lands maintained by the university near Butlerville, Indiana , recorded the songs of 20 different species of birds going quiet, leaving only the songs of the robin and the tufted titmouse during the eclipse. Birding students at the University of Vermont observed species at Lake Champlain during the eclipse that had not been observed there before, including Bohemian waxwings , red-tailed hawks , and pileated woodpeckers . Insects and frogs in

2457-439: A year, when the Sun and Moon are not exactly in line with Earth and the Moon only partially obscures the Sun. This phenomenon can usually be seen from a large part of Earth outside of the track of an annular or total eclipse. However, some eclipses can be seen only as a partial eclipse, because the umbra passes above Earth's polar regions and never intersects Earth's surface. Partial eclipses are virtually unnoticeable in terms of

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2574-537: A zoo in Hemmingford, Quebec , noted very little change in the animals they observed there, including giraffes, lions, hyenas , wolves , lynx , llamas , alpacas , and dromedaries . Hyenas vocalized during the eclipse, but there were other coinciding events that might have contributed to that behavior. The zoo's director of zoology, Aurélien Berthelot, did not expect much activity from their mammals. For example, lions sleep up to eighteen hours per day. Some roared during

2691-504: Is a bonding behavior. A troop of gorillas at that zoo also gathered at the door to their indoor enclosure, where they were normally fed each evening, and appeared to act confused and frustrated, as if having missed their evening meal. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden (FWBG) placed hundreds of butterflies in their conservatory March 1, allowed them to acclimate, and observed them during the eclipse. The butterflies "didn't roost but instead ceased flying and remained very still." Goats at

2808-461: Is about 400 times the Moon's distance, and the Sun's diameter is about 400 times the Moon's diameter. Because these ratios are approximately the same, the Sun and the Moon as seen from Earth appear to be approximately the same size: about 0.5 degree of arc in angular measure. The Moon's orbit around Earth is slightly elliptical , as is Earth's orbit around the Sun. The apparent sizes of the Sun and Moon therefore vary. The magnitude of an eclipse

2925-416: Is commonly called the lunar month . The Moon crosses from south to north of the ecliptic at its ascending node , and vice versa at its descending node. However, the nodes of the Moon's orbit are gradually moving in a retrograde motion , due to the action of the Sun's gravity on the Moon's motion, and they make a complete circuit every 18.6 years. This regression means that the time between each passage of

3042-448: Is no warning that injury is occurring. Under normal conditions, the Sun is so bright that it is difficult to stare at it directly. However, during an eclipse, with so much of the Sun covered, it is easier and more tempting to stare at it. Looking at the Sun during an eclipse is as dangerous as looking at it outside an eclipse, except during the brief period of totality, when the Sun's disk is completely covered (totality occurs only during

3159-530: Is responsible for the construction of Bausch Hall. In 1930, the name of the museum was changed to the Rochester Museum of Arts and Sciences. W. Stephen Thomas, a trained museum professional from Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences, succeeded Parker as museum director in 1945. Under his leadership, the museum saw the creation of state-of-the-art dioramas and growth of collections in history, technology, natural science, archaeology, and anthropology. Among

3276-467: Is that of archaeologist Bruce Masse, who putatively links an eclipse that occurred on May 10, 2807, BC with a possible meteor impact in the Indian Ocean on the basis of several ancient flood myths that mention a total solar eclipse. Eclipses have been interpreted as omens , or portents. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that Thales of Miletus predicted an eclipse that occurred during

3393-435: Is the ratio of the apparent size of the Moon to the apparent size of the Sun during an eclipse. An eclipse that occurs when the Moon is near its closest distance to Earth ( i.e., near its perigee ) can be a total eclipse because the Moon will appear to be large enough to completely cover the Sun's bright disk or photosphere ; a total eclipse has a magnitude greater than or equal to 1.000. Conversely, an eclipse that occurs when

3510-455: Is this effect that leads to the difference between total and annular eclipses. The distance of Earth from the Sun also varies during the year, but this is a smaller effect (by up to about 0.85% from its average value). On average, the Moon appears to be slightly (2.1%) smaller than the Sun as seen from Earth, so the majority (about 60%) of central eclipses are annular. It is only when the Moon is closer to Earth than average (near its perigee ) that

3627-481: Is to be avoided. The Sun's disk can be viewed using appropriate filtration to block the harmful part of the Sun's radiation. Sunglasses do not make viewing the Sun safe. Only properly designed and certified solar filters should be used for direct viewing of the Sun's disk. Especially, self-made filters using common objects such as a floppy disk removed from its case, a Compact Disc , a black colour slide film, smoked glass, etc. must be avoided. The safest way to view

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3744-467: Is traditionally dated to 480 BC, was matched by John Russell Hind to an annular eclipse of the Sun at Sardis on February 17, 478 BC. Alternatively, a partial eclipse was visible from Persia on October 2, 480 BC. Herodotus also reports a solar eclipse at Sparta during the Second Persian invasion of Greece . The date of the eclipse (August 1, 477 BC) does not match exactly the conventional dates for

3861-565: The 180th meridian , the local time of the eclipse in Kiribati and Tokelau was Tuesday, April 9, 2024, because either UTC+13 or UTC+14 is observed in these areas. The magnitude of an eclipse , or the ratio of the angular diameter of the Moon to the angular diameter of the Sun, must be one or greater for a total eclipse to occur. The Moon was near perigee (the closest point in its orbit to Earth) during this eclipse. Occurring only about 24 hours after perigee (on April 7, 2024, at 18:50 UTC),

3978-399: The 2023 April 20 hybrid eclipse 's totality is over a minute in duration at various points along the path of totality. Like a focal point , the width and duration of totality and annularity are near zero at the points where the changes between the two occur. Central eclipse is often used as a generic term for a total, annular, or hybrid eclipse. This is, however, not completely correct:

4095-472: The Adirondacks , Potsdam , and Plattsburgh ); northern Vermont (including Burlington ); New Hampshire; and Maine; with the line of totality going almost directly over the state's highest point Mount Katahdin . The largest city that was entirely in the path was Dallas, Texas. It was the second total eclipse visible from the central United States in just seven years, after the eclipse of August 21, 2017 . It

4212-734: The Azores , and the Canary Islands . Cloud cover prevented views of it from most of the British Isles, although it was seen in Western Scotland. Unusually, this eclipse extended below the horizon, where the greatest phase was observed at mid-nautical twilight in Galicia (Spain) and the beginning of astronomical twilight in Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France). The extension of the eclipse path within

4329-607: The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium , ostriches returned to their barn and began their evening rituals, such as preening and grooming each other. When the sunlight returned, the ostriches left their barn and resumed their daytime activities. A group of elephants at the zoo gathered together and began thumping their trunks on the ground. At the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas, flamingos bunched together, vocalized, and began marching together, which

4446-512: The Great North American Eclipse , was a total solar eclipse visible across a band covering parts of North America , from Mexico to Canada and crossing the contiguous United States . A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun , thereby obscuring the Sun. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, which blocks all direct sunlight and allows some of

4563-706: The Marquesas Islands . Later, the total solar eclipse was visible from North America , starting from the west coast of Mexico then ascending in a northeasterly direction through Mexico, the United States, and Canada, before ending in the Atlantic Ocean about 700 kilometers southwest of Ireland. Totality first passed over the Revillagigedo Islands (a federal possession of Mexico and associated with Colima state) and Islas Marías of Nayarit . Upon reaching

4680-408: The anomalistic month (period of perigee), but groupings of 3 tritos cycles (≈ 33 years minus 3 months) come close (≈ 434.044 anomalistic months), so eclipses are similar in these groupings. This eclipse is a part of the long period inex cycle, repeating at alternating nodes, every 358 synodic months (≈ 10,571.95 days, or 29 years minus 20 days). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to

4797-438: The darkness described at Jesus's crucifixion was a solar eclipse. This research has not yielded conclusive results, and Good Friday is recorded as being at Passover , which is held at the time of a full moon. Further, the darkness lasted from the sixth hour to the ninth, or three hours, which is much, much longer than the eight-minute upper limit for any solar eclipse's totality. Contemporary chronicles wrote about an eclipse at

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4914-419: The eclipse season in its new moon phase, when the Moon's orbital plane is closest to the plane of Earth's orbit . In a total eclipse , the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In partial and annular eclipses , only part of the Sun is obscured. Unlike a lunar eclipse , which may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of Earth, a solar eclipse can only be viewed from a relatively small area of

5031-456: The 2017 eclipse, but more pronounced. Weather radar was adapted to monitor the activity of flying animals, and birds were observed to decrease their daytime activities. Radar imaging demonstrated "noticeable decreases in typical daytime biological activities such as the movements of hawks and other soaring and insect-eating birds." Owls began hooting, and vultures and other birds began to roost. A team from Purdue University , observing

5148-454: The Equator, but as the Moon is moving in the same direction as Earth's rotation at about 61 km/min, the umbra almost always appears to move in a roughly west–east direction across a map of Earth at the speed of the Moon's orbital velocity minus Earth's rotational velocity. The width of the track of a central eclipse varies according to the relative apparent diameters of the Sun and Moon. In

5265-601: The FWBC were observed resting or sleeping during the eclipse. Giraffes at the Dallas Zoo also began to gallop, a behavior witnessed there and at many other zoos during the 2017 eclipse. Two aldabra tortoises at the same zoo were observed to rear on their hind legs and attack the door to their indoor enclosure, damaging the door's frame. Lions at the Buffalo Zoo started roaring just before totality. Not all zoo animals reacted to

5382-399: The Moon is near its farthest distance from Earth ( i.e., near its apogee ) can be only an annular eclipse because the Moon will appear to be slightly smaller than the Sun; the magnitude of an annular eclipse is less than 1. Because Earth's orbit around the Sun is also elliptical, Earth's distance from the Sun similarly varies throughout the year. This affects the apparent size of the Sun in

5499-415: The Moon through the ascending node is slightly shorter than the sidereal month. This period is called the nodical or draconic month . Finally, the Moon's perigee is moving forwards or precessing in its orbit and makes a complete circuit in 8.85 years. The time between one perigee and the next is slightly longer than the sidereal month and known as the anomalistic month . The Moon's orbit intersects with

5616-412: The Moon's apparent diameter was larger. The Sun had an angular diameter of 31'56" at the moment of greatest eclipse. As the magnitude of this eclipse at that time was 1.0566, the angular diameter of the Moon was 1.0566 times that of the Sun, or 33'44". This gave the eclipse a wider path of totality and more maximum time in totality (4 min 28 s) compared to the total eclipse in 2017 (2 min 40 s), which had

5733-731: The Rochester Museum & Science Center. Richard C. Shultz took over as director from 1973 to 1996, and he oversaw the construction of the 400-set Eisenhart Auditorium and the Gannett School classroom building. He also established the Cumming Nature Center. Three capital campaigns provided the funding for the Elaine Wilson Hall in the museum, the giant-screen film system in the Strasenburgh Planetarium, improvements in collection storage and laboratories, and an increase in

5850-402: The Sun (the bright disk of the Sun itself), even for just a few seconds, can cause permanent damage to the retina of the eye, because of the intense visible and invisible radiation that the photosphere emits. This damage can result in impairment of vision, up to and including blindness . The retina has no sensitivity to pain, and the effects of retinal damage may not appear for hours, so there

5967-402: The Sun is obscured, then an effect can be observed by which the daylight appears to be dim, as if the sky were overcast, yet objects still cast sharp shadows. When the shrinking visible part of the photosphere becomes very small, Baily's beads will occur. These are caused by the sunlight still being able to reach Earth through lunar valleys. Totality then begins with the diamond ring effect ,

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6084-403: The Sun is within about 15 to 18 degrees of a node, (10 to 12 degrees for central eclipses). This is referred to as an eclipse limit, and is given in ranges because the apparent sizes and speeds of the Sun and Moon vary throughout the year. In the time it takes for the Moon to return to a node (draconic month), the apparent position of the Sun has moved about 29 degrees, relative to the nodes. Since

6201-404: The Sun's corona and solar prominences to be seen. Totality occurs only in a limited path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a larger surrounding region. During this eclipse, the Moon 's apparent diameter was 5.5 percent larger than average due to occurring about a day after perigee . With a magnitude of 1.0566, the eclipse's longest duration of totality

6318-439: The Sun's brightness, as it takes well over 90% coverage to notice any darkening at all. Even at 99%, it would be no darker than civil twilight . A hybrid eclipse (also called annular/total eclipse) shifts between a total and annular eclipse. At certain points on the surface of Earth, it appears as a total eclipse, whereas at other points it appears as annular. Hybrid eclipses are comparatively rare. A hybrid eclipse occurs when

6435-513: The Sun's disk is by indirect projection. This can be done by projecting an image of the disk onto a white piece of paper or card using a pair of binoculars (with one of the lenses covered), a telescope, or another piece of cardboard with a small hole in it (about 1 mm diameter), often called a pinhole camera . The projected image of the Sun can then be safely viewed; this technique can be used to observe sunspots , as well as eclipses. Care must be taken, however, to ensure that no one looks through

6552-471: The Sun's disk, which on telescopic views and photographs showed as a tent-shaped angular structure. The red and pink hues were the result of hydrogen and helium plasma being thrown up in broad arcs but never leaving the sun's atmosphere. Telescopic photographs revealed the western limb having several smaller, irregular shapes, of which one large, ragged shape appeared disconnected from the Sun's surface on one side. Several smaller prominences were also visible on

6669-582: The US will be on August 23, 2044 . The next total eclipse of similar width will take place on August 12, 2045 , which will traverse coast-to-coast in a trajectory similar to the 2017 eclipse. The totality of the solar eclipse was visible in a strip beginning in the Pacific Ocean , the edge of which passed approximately 60 kilometers north of Penrhyn atoll , 115 kilometers south of Starbuck Island , 275 kilometers north of Vostok Island , and 370 kilometers north of

6786-478: The apparent size of the Moon is not large enough to completely block out the Sun. Totality thus does not occur; the Sun instead appears as a very bright ring, or annulus , surrounding the dark disk of the Moon. Annular eclipses occur once every one or two years, not annually. The term derives from the Latin root word anulus , meaning "ring", rather than annus , for "year". A partial eclipse occurs about twice

6903-571: The beginning of May 664 that coincided with the beginning of the plague of 664 in the British isles. In the Western hemisphere, there are few reliable records of eclipses before AD 800, until the advent of Arab and monastic observations in the early medieval period. A solar eclipse took place on January 27, 632 over Arabia during Muhammad 's lifetime. Muhammad denied the eclipse had anything to do with his son dying earlier that day, saying "The sun and

7020-420: The continental mainland, totality passed through the states of Sinaloa (including Mazatlán ), northern Nayarit, Durango (including the city of Durango and Gómez Palacio ), extreme southeast Chihuahua , and Coahuila (including Torreón , Matamoros , Monclova , Sabinas , Ciudad Acuña , and Piedras Negras ). A partial eclipse was visible across the remainder of the country, including 79% coverage of

7137-415: The dark silhouette of the Moon completely obscures the bright light of the Sun, allowing the much fainter solar corona to be visible. During an eclipse, totality occurs only along a narrow track on the surface of Earth. This narrow track is called the path of totality. An annular eclipse, like a total eclipse, occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line with Earth. During an annular eclipse, however,

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7254-439: The definition of a central eclipse is an eclipse during which the central line of the umbra touches Earth's surface. It is possible, though extremely rare, that part of the umbra intersects with Earth (thus creating an annular or total eclipse), but not its central line. This is then called a non-central total or annular eclipse. Gamma is a measure of how centrally the shadow strikes. The last (umbral yet) non-central solar eclipse

7371-457: The duration of a total solar eclipse (in order of decreasing importance): The longest eclipse that has been calculated thus far is the eclipse of July 16, 2186 (with a maximum duration of 7 minutes 29 seconds over northern Guyana). A total solar eclipse is a rare event, recurring somewhere on Earth every 18 months on average, yet is estimated to recur at any given location only every 360–410 years on average. The total eclipse lasts for only

7488-566: The eastern limb, though because of the eclipse's relatively high magnitude, prominences on both limbs could not be viewed at the same time. These shapes correlate in detail with the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory solar telescope images taken in space at the same as the earthbound eclipse, and with images from the ground-based National Solar Observatory GONG telescope in Cerro Tololo, Chile . The shadow bands phenomenon

7605-459: The eclipse circumstances will be at any given location. Calculations with Besselian elements can determine the exact shape of the umbra's shadow on Earth's surface. But at what longitudes on Earth's surface the shadow will fall, is a function of Earth's rotation, and on how much that rotation has slowed down over time. A number called ΔT is used in eclipse prediction to take this slowing into account. As Earth slows, ΔT increases. ΔT for dates in

7722-427: The eclipse limit creates a window of opportunity of up to 36 degrees (24 degrees for central eclipses), it is possible for partial eclipses (or rarely a partial and a central eclipse) to occur in consecutive months. During a central eclipse, the Moon's umbra (or antumbra, in the case of an annular eclipse) moves rapidly from west to east across Earth. Earth is also rotating from west to east, at about 28 km/min at

7839-512: The eclipse while others slept. Analyses of their observations are continuing. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders preemptively declared a state of emergency related to the eclipse, citing the expected increase of travel to the state which could result in transportation difficulties, such as in Fort Smith , where the police prepared for traffic congestion as hotels filled up. Bell County, Texas Judge David Blackburn preemptively declared

7956-534: The eclipse, nor did researchers expect them to. During the 2017 eclipse, researchers at the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina observed behavior changes in about 75% of species. Adam Hartstone-Rose, a biology professor at North Carolina State University , hypothesized that the captive animals that did react may have been responding to the emotions of human zoo visitors. Zoologists and volunteers at Parc Safari ,

8073-443: The eclipse, some with the goal of comparing results with observations made during the 1932 and 2017 total solar eclipses , and others opening new avenues of animal behavioral research. Wildlife and zoo animals were observed along the path of totality and in areas that saw only a partial eclipse. NASA worked with ARISA Lab, LLC, to recruit thousands of citizen scientists to help record sounds and observations of animal behavior during

8190-473: The eclipse. As of 16 April 2024 , a total of 3,372 written observations had been submitted by citizen scientists, and 770 recording devices had been registered with the project to provide sound and ultrasound recordings of wildlife and other ambient sounds before, during, and after the eclipse in a standardized way. Changes in wild animal behavior were recorded during the eclipse, especially among birds. These changes were similar to those observed during

8307-601: The eclipse. The Mayor of Rochester, New York , Malik Evans , told reporters that the city was expected to bring in between $ 10–12 million to the city's economy from the Friday before the eclipse to the day of it. However, the day was cloudy. On April 12 New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced record breaking tourism numbers between April 6-9, that was a 45% increase compared to 2023, with nearly one million visitors to New York State parks and over 5.5 million toll transactions recorded. One company that tracks Airbnb data likened

8424-578: The ecliptic at the two nodes that are 180 degrees apart. Therefore, the new moon occurs close to the nodes at two periods of the year approximately six months (173.3 days) apart, known as eclipse seasons , and there will always be at least one solar eclipse during these periods. Sometimes the new moon occurs close enough to a node during two consecutive months to eclipse the Sun on both occasions in two partial eclipses. This means that, in any given year, there will always be at least two solar eclipses, and there can be as many as five. Eclipses can occur only when

8541-425: The economic impact of the event to having Taylor Swift's concerts taking place simultaneously in every city along the eclipse's path. In the United States, the prices of motels and hotels near the path of totality increased up to 100 percent on April 7 and April 8. Montreal saw a 20% surge in hotel occupancy for April 7 and April 8. The eclipse caused a drop in solar power generation, with Texas experiencing

8658-499: The end of totality, the same effects will occur in reverse order, and on the opposite side of the Moon. A dedicated group of eclipse chasers have pursued the observation of solar eclipses when they occur around Earth. A person who chases eclipses is known as an umbraphile, meaning shadow lover. Umbraphiles travel for eclipses and use various tools to help view the sun including solar viewing glasses , also known as eclipse glasses, as well as telescopes. The first known photograph of

8775-651: The endowment fund. RMSC President Kate Bennett took the helm in 1996. Under her presidency, partnership projects with Monroe Boces 1 brought the Challenger Learning Center at the Strasenburgh Planetarium and the Bathysphere Underwater Biological Laboratory in the museum. The Genesee Community Charter School opened on the RMSC campus in 2001. The museum continues to create new galleries and new learning experiences for visitors. Bennet retired in 2018. [1] In late 2018, Hillary Olson,

8892-534: The exhibits Thomas oversaw was a "pipe organ panorama" in the spring of 1955 that was visited by over 10,000 people. Ian C. McLennan, former director of the Queen Elizabeth Planetarium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was appointed as director of the creation of a planetarium in 1965 and followed Thomas as RMSC Executive Director from 1968 to 1972. 1968 saw the name of the museum change to its current title,

9009-581: The following morning, resulting in numerous cars breaking down. Drivers and passengers spent four to six hours to pass through Franconia Notch where Interstate 93 is reduced to a single lane in each direction. Major highways in the state remained crowded through rush hour the following morning and into the afternoon. A similar effect was seen during the following morning's rush hour in northbound Interstate 65 in Indianapolis. In Vermont there were an estimated 60,000 additional cars and 248 inbound aircraft over

9126-446: The future can only be roughly estimated because Earth's rotation is slowing irregularly. This means that, although it is possible to predict that there will be a total eclipse on a certain date in the far future, it is not possible to predict in the far future exactly at what longitudes that eclipse will be total. Historical records of eclipses allow estimates of past values of ΔT and so of Earth's rotation. The following factors determine

9243-434: The future may now be predicted with high accuracy. Looking directly at the Sun can lead to permanent eye damage, so special eye protection or indirect viewing techniques are used when viewing a solar eclipse. Only the total phase of a total solar eclipse is safe to view without protection. Enthusiasts known as eclipse chasers or umbraphiles travel to remote locations to see solar eclipses. The Sun's distance from Earth

9360-405: The future, the Moon will be too far away to fully occlude the Sun, and no total eclipses will occur. In the same timeframe, the Sun may become brighter, making it appear larger in size. Estimates of the time when the Moon will be unable to occlude the entire Sun when viewed from Earth range between 650 million and 1.4 billion years in the future. Looking directly at the photosphere of

9477-513: The intersection of the two paths being in southern Illinois , in Makanda , just south of Carbondale . The path of the April 8 eclipse also crossed the path of the annular solar eclipse that occurred less than 6 months prior, on October 14, 2023 , intersecting in the vicinity of San Antonio, Texas . It was projected before the eclipse that there could be a $ 6 billion boost to the US economy due to

9594-412: The invasion accepted by historians. In ancient China, where solar eclipses were known as an "eating of the Sun" ( rìshí 日食 ), the earliest records of eclipses date to around 720 BC. The 4th century BC astronomer Shi Shen described the prediction of eclipses by using the relative positions of the Moon and Sun. Attempts have been made to establish the exact date of Good Friday by assuming that

9711-429: The last bright flash of sunlight. It is safe to observe the total phase of a solar eclipse directly only when the Sun's photosphere is completely covered by the Moon, and not before or after totality. During this period, the Sun is too dim to be seen through filters. The Sun's faint corona will be visible, and the chromosphere , solar prominences , coronal streamers and possibly even a solar flare may be seen. At

9828-429: The latter being favored by most recent authors on the topic. A solar eclipse of June 15, 763 BC mentioned in an Assyrian text is important for the chronology of the ancient Near East . There have been other claims to date earlier eclipses. The legendary Chinese king Zhong Kang supposedly beheaded two astronomers, Hsi and Ho, who failed to predict an eclipse 4000 years ago. Perhaps the earliest still-unproven claim

9945-423: The lens and viewfinder protects the equipment and makes viewing possible. Professional workmanship is essential because of the dire consequences any gaps or detaching mountings will have. In the partial eclipse path, one will not be able to see the corona or nearly complete darkening of the sky. However, depending on how much of the Sun's disk is obscured, some darkening may be noticeable. If three-quarters or more of

10062-428: The lens is covered by a properly designed solar filter. Historical eclipses are a very valuable resource for historians, in that they allow a few historical events to be dated precisely, from which other dates and ancient calendars may be deduced. The oldest recorded solar eclipse was recorded on a clay tablet found at Ugarit , in modern Syria , with two plausible dates usually cited: 3 May 1375 BC or 5 March 1223 BC,

10179-414: The longest total eclipse of the 20th century at 7 min 8 s occurred on June 20, 1955 , and there will be no total solar eclipses over 7 min in duration in the 21st century. It is possible to predict other eclipses using eclipse cycles . The saros is probably the best known and one of the most accurate. A saros lasts 6585.3 days (a little over 18 years), which means that, after this period,

10296-424: The magnitude of an eclipse changes during the event from less to greater than one, so the eclipse appears to be total at locations nearer the midpoint, and annular at other locations nearer the beginning and end, since the sides of Earth are slightly further away from the Moon. These eclipses are extremely narrow in their path width and relatively short in their duration at any point compared with fully total eclipses;

10413-613: The moon do not eclipse because of the death of someone from the people but they are two signs amongst the signs of God." The Cairo astronomer Ibn Yunus wrote that the calculation of eclipses was one of the many things that connect astronomy with the Islamic law , because it allowed knowing when a special prayer can be made. The first recorded observation of the corona was made in Constantinople in AD 968. The first known telescopic observation of

10530-514: The most favourable circumstances, when a total eclipse occurs very close to perigee, the track can be up to 267 km (166 mi) wide and the duration of totality may be over 7 minutes. Outside of the central track, a partial eclipse is seen over a much larger area of Earth. Typically, the umbra is 100–160 km wide, while the penumbral diameter is in excess of 6400 km. Besselian elements are used to predict whether an eclipse will be partial, annular, or total (or annular/total), and what

10647-427: The northern tip of Cape Breton Island , Nova Scotia, and central Newfoundland (including Gander and Grand Falls-Windsor ). Then, it ended on the eastern Atlantic coast of Newfoundland . The most populous Canadian city that the path of totality intersected was Montreal. Windsor , London , Toronto , and Ottawa lay just north of the path of totality, and Moncton just south of it. A partial solar eclipse

10764-452: The path of the 2017 eclipse ); Kentucky; Indiana (including Bloomington , Evansville , Indianapolis , Anderson , Muncie , Terre Haute , and Vincennes ); Ohio (including Akron , Cleveland , Dayton , Lima , Lorain , Roundhead , Toledo , and Warren ); Michigan (extreme southeastern corner of Monroe County ); Pennsylvania (including Erie ); Upstate New York (including Buffalo , Niagara Falls , Rochester , Syracuse , Watertown ,

10881-546: The path of totality accounted for a third of this population (5 of the 10 largest cities being in the United States, 3 in Mexico, and 2 in Canada). Adding people who travelled to the path of totality, an estimated 50 million people experienced the total solar eclipse. Meanwhile, about 652 million people experienced a partial solar eclipse. This eclipse was the first total solar eclipse visible from Canada since August 1, 2008 , and from

10998-502: The path of totality also avoided cloud cover entirely. In Canada, totality was visible through parts of Southern Ontario (including Leamington , Fort Erie , Hamilton , Niagara Falls , Kingston , Prince Edward County , and Cornwall ), parts of southern Quebec (including Montreal , Sherbrooke , Saint-Georges , and Lac-Mégantic ), central New Brunswick (including Fredericton , Woodstock and Miramichi ), western Prince Edward Island (including Tignish and Summerside ),

11115-514: The projector (telescope, pinhole, etc.) directly. A kitchen colander with small holes can also be used to project multiple images of the partially eclipsed Sun onto the ground or a viewing screen. Viewing the Sun's disk on a video display screen (provided by a video camera or digital camera ) is safe, although the camera itself may be damaged by direct exposure to the Sun. The optical viewfinders provided with some video and digital cameras are not safe. Securely mounting #14 welder's glass in front of

11232-481: The provinces since February 26, 1979 . It was the first over Mexico since July 11, 1991 . It was also the first over the United States since August 21, 2017 . This is the only solar eclipse in the 21st century with totality visible from all three countries. The next total solar eclipse in the US will be on March 30, 2033 , which will pass over Alaska . The next total eclipse in the contiguous United States of

11349-406: The same calendar date. In addition, the octon subseries repeats 1/5 of that or every 3.8 years (1387.94 days). All eclipses in this table occur at the Moon's ascending node. This eclipse is a part of a tritos cycle, repeating at alternating nodes every 135 synodic months (≈ 3986.63 days, or 11 years minus 1 month). Their appearance and longitude are irregular due to a lack of synchronization with

11466-513: The same parts of the Earth. The longest duration of totality will be produced by member 61 at 7 minutes, 29.22 seconds on July 16, 2186 . This date is the longest solar eclipse computed between 4000 BC and AD 6000. All eclipses in this series occur at the Moon’s ascending node of orbit. The metonic series repeats eclipses every 19 years (6939.69 days), lasting about 5 cycles. Eclipses occur in nearly

11583-420: The same way, but not as much as does the Moon's varying distance from Earth. When Earth approaches its farthest distance from the Sun in early July, a total eclipse is somewhat more likely, whereas conditions favour an annular eclipse when Earth approaches its closest distance to the Sun in early January. There are three main types of solar eclipses: A total eclipse occurs on average every 18 months when

11700-404: The sequence below, each eclipse is separated by a fortnight . This eclipse is a member of a semester series . An eclipse in a semester series of solar eclipses repeats approximately every 177 days and 4 hours (a semester) at alternating nodes of the Moon's orbit. This eclipse is a part of Saros series 139 , repeating every 18 years, 11 days, and containing 71 events. The series started with

11817-718: The solar disc in Mexico City . Torreón was the most populous Mexican city in the path of totality. In the United States, totality was visible through the states of Texas (including parts of San Antonio , Austin , Fort Worth , and all of Arlington , Dallas , Killeen , Temple , Texarkana , Tyler , Sulphur Springs , and Waco); Oklahoma (including Idabel and Broken Bow ); Arkansas (including Morrilton / Petit Jean , Hot Springs , Searcy , Jonesboro , and Little Rock ); Missouri (including Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff ); Tennessee (extreme northwestern corner of Lake County ); Illinois (including Carbondale , where it intersected

11934-530: The span of the eclipse weekend, with about 160,000 visitors coming into the state per Secretary of Transportation Joe Flynn. Drivers in southern Illinois leaving the region of totality to the north toward St. Louis, Missouri faced more than 80 miles of stop-and-go heavy congestion. Unlike other regions, traffic was lighter in Texas than the state's Department of Transportation had anticipated. Zookeepers, naturalists, university researchers, and citizen scientists positioned themselves to observe animal behavior during

12051-483: The specific parameter, and the second table describes various other parameters pertaining to this eclipse. This eclipse is part of an eclipse season , a period, roughly every six months, when eclipses occur. Only two (or occasionally three) eclipse seasons occur each year, and each season lasts about 35 days and repeats just short of six months (173 days) later; thus two full eclipse seasons always occur each year. Either two or three eclipses happen each eclipse season. In

12168-407: The state, stating that the decision to lock down the prison during the eclipse conflicted with their religious beliefs. The solar eclipse is important in various religions . The state settled the lawsuit by allowing them to view the eclipse. Shown below are two tables displaying details about this particular solar eclipse. The first table outlines times at which the moon's penumbra or umbra attains

12285-502: The ten largest cities where totality was visible. In population order, they were: Astronomy magazine provided a list of 20 recommended viewing sites, based on factors such as proximity to the center line, population size, ease of access, and so on. They were ordered from west to east: A partial eclipse passed over Svalbard (Norway), Iceland, Ireland, western parts of the United Kingdom, north-western parts of Spain and Portugal,

12402-449: The time of a new moon, the Moon will usually pass to the north or south of the Sun. A solar eclipse can occur only when a new moon occurs close to one of the points (known as nodes ) where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic. As noted above, the Moon's orbit is also elliptical . The Moon's distance from Earth varies by up to about 5.9% from its average value. Therefore, the Moon's apparent size varies with its distance from Earth, and it

12519-578: The twilight zone created what was likely the best observation window for the 12P/Pons–Brooks comet located closely to Jupiter . The partial eclipse was seen in Hawaii, eastern Kiribati (the eastern Phoenix Islands and the whole Line Islands ), Tokelau , American Samoa except for its extreme western part, the Cook Islands , French Polynesia , and the Pitcairn Islands . Although all located east of

12636-419: The umbra touches Earth's surface is where a total eclipse can be seen. The larger light gray area is the penumbra , in which a partial eclipse can be seen. An observer in the antumbra , the area of shadow beyond the umbra, will see an annular eclipse. The Moon's orbit around Earth is inclined at an angle of just over 5 degrees to the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun (the ecliptic ). Because of this, at

12753-596: The wild were also observed making their nighttime sounds. Cicadas in Arizona stopped singing when the Sun was 50% blocked during their partial eclipse. Spring peepers , a type of nocturnal frog, were heard intermittently by the Purdue team in rural Indiana while the eclipse was partial, but they abruptly filled the soundscape at the moment of totality. Wild cricket frogs were observed in Fort Worth, Texas, behaving similarly. At

12870-672: The world. As such, although total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every 18 months on average, they recur at any given place only once every 360 to 410 years. If the Moon were in a perfectly circular orbit and in the same orbital plane as Earth, there would be total solar eclipses once a month, at every new moon. Instead, because the Moon's orbit is tilted at about 5 degrees to Earth's orbit, its shadow usually misses Earth. Solar (and lunar) eclipses therefore happen only during eclipse seasons , resulting in at least two, and up to five, solar eclipses each year, no more than two of which can be total. Total eclipses are rarer because they require

12987-488: Was June 30, 1973 (7 min 3 sec). Observers aboard a Concorde supersonic aircraft were able to stretch totality for this eclipse to about 74 minutes by flying along the path of the Moon's umbra. The next total eclipse exceeding seven minutes in duration will not occur until June 25, 2150 . The longest total solar eclipse during the 11 000 year period from 3000 BC to at least 8000 AD will occur on July 16, 2186 , when totality will last 7 min 29 s. For comparison,

13104-422: Was on April 29, 2014 . This was an annular eclipse. The next non-central total solar eclipse will be on April 9, 2043 . The visual phases observed during a total eclipse are called: The diagrams to the right show the alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Earth during a solar eclipse. The dark gray region between the Moon and Earth is the umbra , where the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon. The small area where

13221-526: Was 4 minutes and 28 seconds near the Mexican town of Nazas, Durango . This particular eclipse occurred at the Moon's ascending node of orbit. Totality was visible from 6 Mexican states, 15 U.S. states, and 6 Canadian provinces. Approximately 44 million people lived in the path of totality, including 32 million in the United States, 6 million in Canada, and 6 million in Mexico. The 10 largest cities in

13338-613: Was established in 1912 as the Rochester Municipal Museum . Its first curator, Edward D. Putnam, served from 1913 until 1924, when New York archaeologist Arthur C. Parker took over as museum director. Parker began to expand the museum's holdings and research in anthropology, geology, biology, natural history, and the history and industry of the Genesee Region. He created the WPA-funded Indian Arts Project and

13455-440: Was observed and documented in some locations with clear skies. Attempts to observe and record shadow bands on the ground were disappointed in many areas of totality by the phenomenon not appearing in the event, perhaps having been washed out by the diffuse illumination of cloudy skies in various locations. The path of the April 8, 2024, eclipse crossed the path of the previous American total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 , with

13572-433: Was the last total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States until August 23, 2044 . A partial solar eclipse was visible in all of the other parts of the contiguous United States, Hawaii, and southeast Alaska ( Alaska Panhandle ). Delta Air Lines scheduled two special eclipse-following flights: one from Austin to Detroit on a large-window A220-300 , and one from Dallas to Detroit. Various other flights in

13689-625: Was visible in all of the other parts of Canada , except the western part of Yukon and the western tip of the Northwest Territories . Boat cruises to observe the eclipse were conducted on Lake Erie, Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and Saint Lawrence River. The partial eclipse was seen in all Central American countries, from Belize to Panama, all the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica), and northern South America (Colombia). Space.com identified

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