Scott G Winterton | AP Photo
Solar eclipse 2017: How to watch, when (everything you need to know)
by Geoff Herbert | gherbert@syracuse.com
The 2017 solar eclipse will occur Monday, Aug. 21, and cover much of North America in darkness. What time is the eclipse? How can you watch it without special glasses?
Here's everything you need to know about the event.
What time will solar eclipse happen?
In Upstate NY, the eclipse will start about 1:15 p.m., reaching its peak around 2:35 p.m.
Curtis Compton | AP
Solar eclipse glasses
Everyone needs to protect their eyes if they want to watch the moon block the sun. That's because the strength of the sun's light is so strong, staring at it, even when part of the sky is dark, can seriously damage your eyes.
Eclipse glasses, made by a certified company, are the safest way to watch the eclipse without damaging your eyes. Sam Sampere, who teaches Physics at Syracuse University, recommends only buying glasses that say they are "ISO" certified. This means they meet the special criteria for viewing the sun during an eclipse and have been safety-tested.
The solar-safe glasses filter out most of the sun's light while still allowing you to view the eclipse.
How to watch without special glasses
Of course, many places are sold out of eclipse glasses, so you may need another option.
An old-fashioned pinhole camera will project the show on any surface.
Take a large piece of cardboard and cut out a big hole. Then cover that hole with tinfoil. Next, use a pin to poke a hole in the tinfoil. This will allow the image of the sun and its shadow to come through, making a simple and clear projection of the show when it happens.
You can also print one out from NASA's website and follow their directions here.
Other alternatives to eclipse glasses
Another way: Use a hand mirror or dental mirror. Use masking tape or tape a piece of thick paper on it the mirror to cover all but about a quarter-inch. All you have to do after that is catch the sunlight with the mirror and watch it the eclipse on a far wall.
Or you can use a colander. Stand with your back to the sun, hold the colander and aim it at a wall or other surface. It will act as a pinhole projector, too.
Can looking directly at eclipse really burn your eyes?
Yes.
Looking directly at the sun during a partial eclipse can cause solar retinopathy, permanent damage in the back of our eye. It can make you go partially blind. And, because there are no pain receptors in that part of your eye, you won't feel it burning, said Dr. Christopher Quinn, president of the American Optometric Association.
But after the burn happens, you will feel it, like a sunburn in your eye. The resulting burn is called "photokeratitis." Generally, the blindness that accompanies the burn is temporary, but it can be permanent, Quinn warned.
Symptoms include red eyes, headache, a feeling that there is something in your eye, and extreme sensitivity to light.
The only time it's safe to look directly without protective eyewear is during totality, when the sun is 100 percent covered. Otherwise, to avoid eye damage, keep the solar specs on or use pinhole projectors that can cast an image of the eclipse into a box.
Can you take pictures of eclipse with your phone?
Because smartphone cameras and GoPros are wide-angle, the sun only makes up a small portion of the shot. That diminishes the impact of the potentially sensor-frying sun's rays, according to Apple.
"You can point your iPhone at the sun right now to take photos and the camera's sensor and lens would not be damaged. The same is the case for the solar eclipse," Apple said in the statement.
More sophisticated cameras will need a special filter to protect the sensors from being burned out by the sun's rays.
Path of totality
Most of the U.S. will see at least a 75 percent total eclipse.
Where is best place to watch solar eclipse?
According to the Associated Press, Monday's total eclipse will cast a shadow that will race through 14 states, entering near Lincoln City, Oregon, at 1:16 p.m. EDT, moving diagonally across the heartland over Casper, Wyoming, Carbondale, Illinois, and Nashville, Tennessee, and then exiting near Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:47 p.m. EDT.
The path will cut 2,600 miles across the land and will be just 60 to 70 miles wide. Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois will see the longest stretch of darkness: 2 minutes and 44 seconds.
The nearest spot of totality to Upstate New York is Wildwood, Tennessee.
NASA
What will eclipse look like in Upstate NY?
Upstate New York is not in the "path of totality" for the eclipse. In Syracuse and most of the Empire State, the moon will block between 70 and 75 percent of the sun.
At the peak, the sky will get darker, but not black like along the path of totality.
You can also search by zip code to see what the eclipse will be like wherever you are.
What will the weather be like during the eclipse?
Meteorologists expect a mostly sunny day with some clouds on Monday afternoon, when residents of Syracuse and Central New York can catch a glimpse of the highly-anticipated solar eclipse.
"It'll be pretty nice," Accuweather.com's Steve Travis said. "There might be a few high wispy clouds but I don't think it's going to be an issue for anyone to get a good view."
Across the rest of the solar eclipse's path, the National Weather Service expects mostly clear skies.
How rare is a solar eclipse?
It depends on where you live. The U.S. mainland hasn't seen a total solar eclipse since 1979 -- and even then, only five states in the Northwest experienced total darkness. 1918 was the country's last coast-to-coast total eclipse.
When is next solar eclipse?
The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will be in 2024. The next coast-to-coast eclipse will be in 2045.
AP Photo
How does a solar eclipse happen?
The Earth, moon and sun line up perfectly every one to three years, briefly turning day into night for a sliver of the planet. But these sights normally are in no man's land, like the vast Pacific or Earth's poles.
In a case of near-perfect celestial symmetry, the sun is 400 times the breadth of our moon and also 400 times farther away, so the two heavenly bodies look more or less the same size from our vantage point, and the moon can neatly cover up the sun.
Eclipse viewing parties
This photo provided by the Oregon State Police shows the crowd at the Big Summit Eclipse 2017 event Saturday near Prineville, Ore. Thousands are expected to gather at some eclipse viewing parties in the path of totality, leading to potential gridlock traffic and bathroom shortages.
See where viewing parties are being held in Upstate New York.
Why is less than 3 minutes of darkness worth a special trip?
How an eclipse happens and when it happens is all science, predicable thousands of years out. But still, to watch the sun go black in the middle of the day, to see stars and planets come out if even for just an instant, seems inexplicable, magical even.
"Science has taken the myth out of the eclipse, but not the emotion," one eclipse chaser said. "It's absolutely sublime."
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Bonnie Tyler will perform "Total Eclipse of the Heart" during the actual 2017 solar eclipse next week.
Tyler, 66, will be on the Royal Caribbean's Total Eclipse Cruise, which will be in the path of totality when the moon's shadow blocks the sun on Monday. At the same time the solar eclipse occurs, Tyler will perform her 1983 hit song with backing from Joe Jonas' band DNCE.
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" continues to be popular today among karaoke singers, "X Factor" contestants and even as an expletive-laden wedding version in the 2003 movie "Old School." The song was also a hit for Nikki French in 1995 and was covered by Irish boy band Westlife in 2006.
So don't be surprised if you hear the song as the soundtrack for various eclipse-watching parties around the world, even if Tyler's not there to sing it for you in person.
How to watch solar eclipse live in other cities
NASA will livestream the solar eclipse from 12 locations, using airplanes, satellites and telescopes to give you clear look from many perspectives.
The feed is set to go live at noon. The eclipse begins at 1:15 p.m. in Lincoln City, Oregon, and ends at 2:38 p.m. in Charleston, South Carolina.
New York State Fair offers $3 tickets during eclipse
The last time a total solar eclipse passed over the United States in 1979, tickets to the New York State Fair cost $3. As a result, fair officials are making available 1,979 tickets for $3 each -- but only during the solar eclipse, from 1:15 to 3:45 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased on eTix.com, and are good for any day of the Fair.
The 2017 Fair runs Wednesday through Sept. 4.
AP Photo
More stargazing fun
See what else you can expect in the sky this week in Upstate New York.
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