Events planned in preparation for the April 2024 solar eclipse
by Colleen Onuffer
Mark your calendar: On April 8, 2024, our region will witness a total solar eclipse. This occurs when the Moon, Sun and Earth perfectly align and the Moon blocks the face of the Sun. As a result, the sky will turn dark, stars will appear, the temperature will drop, and animals will think it’s nighttime.
You may think it’s too soon to be thinking about next spring but trust me, you won’t want to miss this! The last solar eclipse in Rochester was in 1925 and our region won’t observe another one until 2144 – so this is a rare, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Our region has been preparing for this astronomical phenomenon for the past seven years. The Rochester Eclipse Task Force, a group of over 700 individuals tasked with raising awareness about the eclipse, has been meeting regularly to provide important updates and share inspirational ideas around themed programming and specials. Filmmakers of TOTALITY – a documentary that will demonstrate how this special event can bring together a divisive country – have been filming across Rochester and even attended the task force’s October meeting.
Here are some of the exciting ways around Western New York that you can celebrate this celestial occurrence between now and April 8:•98 Years Since the Sun Went OutNovember 15 – April 27Batavia’s Holland Land Office Museum will showcase what life was like in Genesee County in 1925, the last time the area witnessed a total solar eclipse. “98 Years Since the Sun Went Out” will show the clothes people wore, where people shopped and worked, and how they saw and reacted to the eclipse.•Rush Public Library Talk –The Great American Eclipse 2024November 28 at 7 p.m.Hear from NASA Solar System Ambassador Jim Porter as he shares what will happen during the total solar eclipse.•The Art of the Eclipse:Works by Tyler NordgrenFebruary 1 – February 28An art exhibit featuring 30 posters designed by artist and astronomer Tyler Nordgren in honor of the 2017 and 2024 eclipses has been displayed at different Rochester locations each month. During February, the traveling exhibit will be in SUNY Brockport’s Tower Fine Arts Center Gallery.•Sun and MoonFebruary 1 – March 3Also in the Tower Fine Arts Center Gallery on the campus of SUNY Brockport, Sun and Moon will feature the astronomical interpretation of regional and national contemporary artists.•ROC 2024 Solar Eclipse Talkat Ogden Farmers’ LibraryFebruary 26 at 6 p.m.Dan Schneiderman, the Eclipse Partnership Coordinator at the Rochester Museum & Science Center (RMSC) will explain the science and history of solar eclipses and how to prepare.•Black Out at Woodlawn DistillingApril 5 – April 8A weekend of fun awaits at Woodlawn Distilling, where they will be releasing a LivCo Sol-inspired liquor and two specialty cocktails.•Solar Spectacle atGenesee Country Village & MuseumApril 5 – April 8During this four-day festival of historical programming, hear how authors like Mark Twain and Jules Verne describe eclipses, build your own pinhole camera and find out how early American scientists and astronomers explored the skies more than a century before the space race.•ROC The EclipseApril 6 – April 8This three-day festival takes place at the heart of Rochester’s total solar eclipse efforts at the RMSC, with hands-on activities, speakers, music, food, streaming coverage and telescopes so everyone under the sun can witness.•Maple Sugar HouseDemonstrations & ToursApril 6 – April 8Sweet Dream Maple Farm in Corfu will extend their Maple Weekends for the eclipse, with demonstrations, tastings and tours of the sugar house.
Visit http://rochestereclipse2024.org for more information about what to expect, where to pick up eclipse glasses (Note: never look at the sun without them!) and to see events as they’re added to the calendar.Are you planning an eclipse event, exhibit or viewing party? Submit it to http://rochestereclipse2024.org/submitevent so the Rochester Eclipse Task Force can promote it.
