Embrace the darkness. Here are 2 cities within a day's drive of NJ to see total eclipse

Kim Strong, Asbury Park Press
Updated ·2 min read
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The countdown clocks are ticking down the seconds until the total solar eclipse: April 8, 2024.

This phenomenon is passing over North America that day - over Mexico, the United States and Canada.

A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and Earth at just the right moment. When the moon blocks only part of the sun's light, it's a partial solar eclipse. When it blocks all of the sun's ight, it's a total solar eclipse. During that time, the moon's shadow is cast on the Earth, and communities in its path will experience total darkness for a few minutes.

This rare occurence will be seen in its totality in certain locations across the country. It won’t cross New Jersey, but we will experience a partial solar eclipse where the moon will cover a majority of the sun between 3:24 and 3:25 p.m. that day.

If you're totally geeking out about it, there are a couple of total eclipse sight locations within a day's drive from New Jersey that Astronomy magazine recommends: Plattsburgh, New York, and Erie, Pennsylvania.

More: Where and how can you view the Great North American Eclipse in April?

Photographs taken every 15 minutes during the solar eclipse viewed from Phoenix on Oct. 14, 2023.
Photographs taken every 15 minutes during the solar eclipse viewed from Phoenix on Oct. 14, 2023.

For a quieter eclipse viewing, Plattsburgh, a city of 20,000 with a notable military history and just an hour from Montreal, has marked April 8 as the total eclipse day, but no events have been planned at this time. The event may just be what it is: the eclipse.

Here are the eclipse details for Plattsburgh:

  • The eclipse starts at 2:14 p.m. and ends at 4:37 p.m.

  • The maximum eclipse will be at 3:27 p,m.

  • The duration of totality, when the moon fully covers the sun will be 3 minutes and 33 seconds.

The expected path visibility for the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8 of 2024.
The expected path visibility for the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8 of 2024.

For a more spirited celebration, Erie, Pennsylvania, is the place to go.

The city is embracing the day with a long list of activities, like Mercyhurst University's watch party with lectures and activities. The Lake Erie Speedway is managing a festival atmosphere with live music, food and concessions. A camp along the lake's beach is having a three-day event with a chef providing the food; there's also rock climbing, biking and the Solar Bear plunge into the lake.

Here are Erie's eclipse details:

  • The eclipse starts at 2:02 p.m. and ends at 4:30.

  • The maximum eclipse will be at 3:18 p.m.

  • The duration of the total eclipse will be 3 minutes, 42 seconds.

  • The moon's shadow will be 111.2 miles there.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Total solar eclipse on April 8 2024: Here's where to see it in totality