Saturday, April 8, at 3:20 p.m, marked exactly one year until the total solar eclipse that will be visible in this area. In partnership with the Rochester Eclipse Stakeholders, the RMSC has been activating the steps necessary to ensure the Rochester community can make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime event.
“One year away seems like a long time, but we already have big plans in place at the RMSC. Eclipse Stakeholders across our region are planning events and celebrations,” said Daniel Schneiderman, Eclipse Partnerships Coordinator at RMSC. “Everyone under the sun is a stakeholder in this eclipse, so we want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to see it.”
Rochester sits directly in the path of totality of the 2024 total solar eclipse and will experience three minutes and 38 seconds of complete totality.
“Experiencing totality is nothing like viewing a partial eclipse. In a total eclipse, the sun is completely covered by the moon in the middle of the day,” said Steve Fentress, Director of the RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium. “The sky darkens. The Sun’s corona shines with incredibly pure silver-gray light. The air is suddenly cooler. Light on the landscape around you is strange and unique. It’s beyond astronomy or any other science – it’s a transformation of the world, like visiting another planet for a few minutes.”
The RMSC has recruited community partner organizations across the nine county region who are interested in making the region a hot spot for eclipse learning and viewing in 2024. These partners range from parks to restaurants, to community centers and neighborhood associations, to breweries, faith based organizations, and more. RMSC also holds a leadership role in the local Eclipse Taskforce, working with over 400 organizations to welcome and accommodate an anticipated 400,000 visitors to our region.
“On April 8, 2024, our community will be in the international spotlight as a city in the path of totality for the total solar eclipse,” said Don Jeffries, president & CEO of Visit Rochester. “This once-in-a-generation event will bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to our community and will generate economic impact for the community and our partners in the tourism and hospitality industry. We cannot wait to welcome eclipse viewers to Rochester in 2024!”
The last time the Rochester region experienced a total solar eclipse was in 1925. After April 8, 2024, the next time our region will experience it will be in 2144. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the people of Western New York.
The RMSC will be celebrating next year’s eclipse with a multi-day festival, ROC The Eclipse, filled with hands-on activities, speakers, music, food, and more. Several thousand guests are expected each day of the festival.
For more information about the 2024 eclipse, and to learn how to get involved, go to https://rochestereclipse2024.org or follow the official Rochester Solar Eclipse pages on all social media platforms (@rocsolareclipse).
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