On Monday, April 8, 2024, people across North America will witness a once-in-a-lifetime event: a total solar eclipse. The total eclipse will begin in the Americas in Sinaloa, Mexico, and go through 11 states and Ontario before it is last visible in Quebec and the Canadian Maritimes.
In New York state, the total eclipse will cut a path from Jamestown in the west to Plattsburgh and the Adirondacks. Here in Albany, we will be at 96.6% of totality at 3:26 p.m.
Take advantage of this opportunity and join the UAlbany community for our eclipse activities.
In a special midday performance, celestially themed songs emanating from the Carillon will signal that the eclipse is on its way.
Make sure to listen for “Blue Moon,” “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “Here Comes the Sun.”
UAlbany Solar Eclipse Viewing: 2:30 to 4 p.m., Monday, April 8, at UAlbany's Entry Plaza
Note: A limited supply of protective glasses is available.
Join us to view the Solar Eclipse, enjoy poetry readings and enter to win prizes!
Protective viewing glasses will be available while supplies last. Local poets will share their original poetry related to the eclipse. Guests will also enjoy a sweet treat, learn about resources and have the chance to win prizes.
Inside University Hall, the jumbotron will be tuned to the Whiteface Mountain Field Station for a live viewing of the eclipse.
The ETEC Eclipse Viewing Event will take place from 2:30 to 4 p.m. within and around our ETEC facilities.
The UAlbany Atmospheric Sciences Research Center's Whiteface Mountain Field Station, located at 4,867 feet above sea level and in the path of totality, recently installed a new webcam at the top of its observatory that is now available to the public via YouTube.
Sitting atop the summit of one of New York’s tallest mountains, the ASRC Whiteface Mountain Field Station has collected cloud water samples for scientific monitoring for more than 50 years and is widely known for its contributions to the atmospheric science research community.
If there is low cloud cover on April 8, the Whiteface Mountain Field Station webcam may offer a rare unobstructed view of the eclipse. Contingent on the weather, the eclipse will be visible in Wilmington (where Whiteface is located) between 2:13 and 4:36 p.m., according to Eclipse Soundscapes. The total eclipse will occur between 3:25 and 3:28 p.m.
A team of students in UAlbany’s Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences are participating in NASA’s Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project and will be launching weather balloons from the Watertown area (Fort Drum) for 30 consecutive hours around the total eclipse.
During the flights, data will be collected and transmitted to a ground computer through a small, expendable instrument package, called a radiosonde, that is attached to the balloon. Each flight lasts around two hours, during which the balloon drifts up to 125 miles and can reach an altitude of 100,000-plus feet.
UAlbany students will use the weather balloons to monitor changes in the atmosphere during the eclipse and compare the observations to real-time weather data from nearby NYS Mesonet stations.
The New York State Mesonet's website will offer real-time access to weather data statewide around the total solar eclipse.
The Mesonet network, operated by UAlbany, includes 126 standard environmental monitoring stations, spaced an average of about 19 miles apart across the state. The stations are equipped with automated sensors that provide high-quality weather data and offer camera images.
As the eclipse traverses New York, the Mesonet will be tracking weather data from each of its network sites, including environmental variables such as wind speed, solar radiation, temperature and relative humidity. In total, 55 NYS Mesonet sites will experience totality during the eclipse, and every site will be above 90 percent at the peak of the eclipse crossing the region.
The NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research is deploying MicroPulse DIAL (MPD) LiDARs at three Mesonet profile network sites (Webster, Chazy and Albany) from April 1 to 30. The collected data will be used to study the impacts of the total solar eclipse on the atmosphere.
Safe Eclipse Viewing Infographic:
A green circle with a white checkmark above the word "Safe."
The following text: "The only safe way to look directly at the sun during an eclipse is through special-purpose solar filters, like eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers."
Eclipse glasses, above the following text: "Use eclipse glasses specially designed to block the sun's rays."
A camera, binoculars and a telescope, all with filtered lenses, above the following text: "Use filtered lenses specially designed to block the sun's rays."
Unsafe Eclipse Viewing Infographic:
A red circle with a white X, above the words "Not Safe."
The following text: "The only safe time to look at the sun without solar filters is during the two to four minutes of total eclipse. It is never safe to look at the sun without solar filters at any other time."
Sunglasses glasses, above the following text: "Regular or polarized sunglasses do not protect your eyes against the sun."
A camera, binoculars and a telescope, above the following text: "Do not look at the sun through camera lenses, binoculars and telescopes."
For media inquiries, contact the Office of Communication and Marketing at 518-956-8150 or [email protected].
Faculty / Researchers:
Publication: Validation of the WRF-ARW eclipse model with measurements from the 2019 and 2020 total solar eclipses [Junhong (June) Wang]
Sponsored Program Award: Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project 2022-2025 — NASA
New York State Solar Eclipse | View Info, Times & Maps (iloveny.com)
Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 (Great North American Eclipse ) (timeanddate.com)
April 8 Solar Eclipse: Path, Maps and More (nytimes.com)
Learn how our fellow SUNY institutions are celebrating the eclipse. Nineteen SUNY campuses are in the path of totality!
