By Ron_Sa / Adobe Stock
Are you ready to watch the partial solar eclipse on June 10? Here’s when and how to view it properly in the 914.
If you want to see something really cool on the morning of June 10, get up before dawn, grab your coffee, and head to the boardwalk at Playland in Rye (or any location with a good view to the northeast). You’ll be rewarded with the rare sight of the sun rising partially eclipsed — not its usual round self but instead looking like a thin orange crescent, rising “horns up” from the horizon.
Minutes after sunrise, at 5:32 a.m., the moon will appear to cover about 80% of the solar disc from our area, then will gradually recede over the next hour, until the eclipse comes to an end at 6:31 a.m., when our closest star will then resume its familiar bright, round appearance.
Because four-fifths of the sun will be covered at maximum, you should see some eerie dimming of light and experience a “second” dawn after sunrise as the moon moves off the sun’s disc.
However, even though this is just a partial eclipse, you still need eye protection at all times to view it directly. If you still have your solar viewing glasses from the 2017 solar eclipse, break ’em out again for this one. The next scheduled solar eclipse will be a 30% partial — from Westchester’s vantage point, anyway — on October 14, 2023.
PRO TIP: Sunglasses are NOT a safe substitute for eclipse glasses or viewers. Only CE ISO-certified glasses should ever be used. These can be found for an excellent price at www.eclipse2024.org. If you find yourself without those all-important viewers on Eclipse Morning, simply stand under a leafy tree and look down to see hundreds of images of the eclipsed sun being focused onto the ground by the openings between the leaves.
Charles Fulco is a middle school science teacher, NASA Solar System Ambassador, and an observer of seven total and annular solar eclipses on four continents. Prior to the 2017 Great American Eclipse, he worked with the American Astronomical Society to distribute certified solar glasses and promote education and public outreach to schools throughout the U.S.
