Total solar eclipse coming next month - what will it look like in Norwich area?

Connor Linskey, Norwich Bulletin
Updated ·3 min read

On April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross through the U.S. for the first time since Aug. 21, 2017.

In addition to the U.S., the eclipse will pass over Mexico and Canada. States in the path of the eclipse are Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. This will be the last total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. until 2044.

Thousands of people will celebrate the total solar eclipse by attending festivals. In Rochester, New York, there will be a three-day ROC The Eclipse Festival, which will feature dozens of exhibitors with hands-on activities, planetarium shows and a post-eclipse concert. Rochester is about 400 miles from Norwich.

The total solar eclipse Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 in Madras, Oregon. Emotional sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century.
The total solar eclipse Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 in Madras, Oregon. Emotional sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century.

What is a total solar eclipse?

According to NASA, a total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun.

NASA says that people located in the center of the Moon’s shadow when it hits Earth will experience a total solar eclipse, and the sky will darken. According to NASA, weather permitting, people in the path of the total solar eclipse can see the Sun’s corona, the outer atmosphere, which is otherwise usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun.

More: Total solar eclipse occurs on April 8. How far must southern New England residents travel to see it?

What will the eclipse look like in Norwich?

A partial solar eclipse will be visible in Norwich beginning at 2:14 p.m. on April 8. At that time, the moon will become visible over the sun’s disk, according to TimeAndDate.com.

The moon will be most visible and the sun will be most hidden at 3:28 p.m. The partial eclipse will end at 4:38 p.m.

The website eclipse2024.org has a link to a video of what the eclipse will look like in Norwich and in 2,500 other cities.

Closest places to see the total solar eclipse

Though Norwich is not in the path of the total solar eclipse, here are some of the closer municipalities where the eclipse will be visible.

  • Burlington, Vermont: 3:26 through 3:29 p.m.

  • Montpelier, Vermont: 3:27 through 3:29 p.m.

  • Rangeley, Maine: 3:29 through 3:31 p.m.

  • Kingfield, Maine: 3:30 through 3:32 p.m.

  • Syracuse, New York: 3:23 through 3:24 p.m.

  • Rochester, New York: 3:20 through 3:23 p.m.

  • Buffalo, New York: 3:18 through 3:22 p.m.

  • Plattsburgh, New York: 3:25 through 3:29 p.m.

  • Watertown, New York: 3:22 through 3:26 p.m.

  • Auburn, New York: 3:22 through 3:24 p.m.

April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse path over North America
April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse path over North America

Proper eyewear to view total solar eclipses

NASA recommends people wear eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer during the partial eclipse phases before and after totality.

NASA says it is safe to view the eclipse directly without proper eye protection only when the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s bright face during the period known as totality. Viewers will know it is safe when they can no longer see any part of the Sun through eclipse glasses or a solar viewer, according to NASA.

NASA recommends that as soon as the sun reappears after totality, viewers should immediately put their eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar viewer to look at the sun.

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This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: How to watch the total solar eclipse on April 8 in Norwich CT, Vermont