Where to Watch the Eclipse in New York

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – "Where to Watch the Eclipse in New York"

Host: Kusha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Bart Freed, Executive Vice President, Amateur Astronomers Association of New York
Date: April 4, 2024

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Brief Overview:

This episode of All Of It focuses on the upcoming solar eclipse visible in the New York metro area on April 8, 2024. Kusha Navadar and guest Bart Freed discuss the science behind solar eclipses, how to safely observe the phenomenon, the logistics of eclipse-watching in New York City, and highlight community events for those eager to experience this rare celestial event together.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Science & Rarity of Solar Eclipses

• What is a Solar Eclipse?

  • Occurs when the moon passes directly between the Earth and the sun, perfectly aligning to block the sun’s light (02:22).
  • The apparent diameter of the Moon is almost exactly the same as the Sun’s from Earth, making total eclipses possible.
  • Types of Eclipses:
    • Total Eclipse: Moon completely covers the sun, revealing the solar corona – visible only during this phase.
    • Annular Eclipse: When the Moon is slightly further, leaving a “ring of fire” visible, but not the corona.

  Quote:

  "What's really special about a total solar eclipse is the ability to see something that you can never see otherwise."
  — Bart Freed (03:16)

• Why So Infrequent?

  • Totality depends on the perfect alignment and distance between the sun, moon, and location on Earth; next chance for the Northeast is in 2044 (01:03).

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2. Eclipse Timeline for New York City

• Approximate schedule:

  • Eclipse start: ~1:00-1:30pm
  • Peak coverage: ~2:30pm
  • Ends: ~3:30pm
  • NYC will experience about 88–89% coverage (03:49).

  Visual Highlights:

  • Watch for the moon “slowly gobble up” sunspots—solar activity is high, increasing the odds of seeing sunspots vanish during the event.

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3. Safety: Protecting Your Eyes During the Eclipse

• Never look directly at the sun, even during high eclipse coverage.

• Risks: 10% of the sun’s light is still “an exceedingly bright object for your retinas.” (04:50)

  Quote:

  "There really is no good time to look at the sun naked eye. But there are plenty of options, which is a good thing."
  — Bart Freed (05:06)

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4. How to Observe Safely

• Solar Eclipse Glasses:

  • Vital for direct viewing—must be from reputable sources.
  • NYC Public Library offers free, certified eclipse glasses (05:56).
  • Old Glasses: Glasses from 2017 are still fine if undamaged and genuinely certified (06:52).

  Quote:

  "If you don't know that to be the case, why not get a free pair from the library—and then you know you're safe."
  — Bart Freed (07:05)

• DIY Projection:

  • Make a pinhole projector or use everyday objects like a colander to make multiple projections of the eclipse on the ground (06:52).

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5. What Is the Corona?

• Definition: The solar corona is the sun's outer atmosphere, visible only during total eclipses, not annular ones, because of its faintness compared to the sun's disk (08:34).
• Facts:
  • Essentially a plasma, temperatures near one million degrees.
  • Only viewable when the sun's surface is fully obscured.

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6. Local NYC Eclipse Viewing Events

• Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn

  • Public observation event hosted by the Amateur Astronomers Association and Pioneer Works.
  • Activities: Special edition eclipse glasses (5,000+ pairs), telescopes with solar filters, music, hands-on activities for kids (planet drawings, solar system models), and self-guided tours (10:09).
  • Event details:
    • Date: Monday, April 8, 2024
    • Time: 1:30–5:00pm (best to arrive around 1–4pm)
    • Peak eclipse: 3:25pm ET (11:30–11:39)

  Quote:

  "We've got, I think on order we bought 5,000 pairs of special edition eclipse glasses."
  — Bart Freed (10:51)

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7. Weather & Final Tips

• Forecast: Weather is “really optimal” for NYC on eclipse day (07:53).
• Advice: Even with only a partial eclipse, it will be a spectacular sight for city residents.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• "It's like the Goldilocks situation. Everything has to be just right..."
  — Kusha Navadar (03:34)
• "You can just do solar projection... hold up a colander... you see hundreds of little partial eclipses. So that's always very sort of picturesque."
  — Bart Freed (07:13)
• "I not terribly sure only because I've been planning on heading out to Texas. But typically it'll be... kids can draw the sun and draw the planets..."
  — Bart Freed (10:09)
• "Good luck to everybody that we all have good weather for the eclipse."
  — Bart Freed (11:50)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:03 – Episode begins, eclipse basics and significance
• 02:11 – Guest introduction
• 03:49 – Eclipse timing for NYC
• 04:50 – Eye safety and dangers
• 05:56 – Where to get eclipse glasses in NYC
• 06:52 – Are old glasses still safe? How to use DIY pinhole projectors
• 08:34 – Definition and significance of the corona
• 10:09 – Details of Greenwood Cemetery observation event
• 11:30 – Event times, partial/peak eclipse in NYC, recap
• 11:50 – Closing remarks & additional upcoming eclipse coverage

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Final Notes

This episode serves as a concise, practical primer for New Yorkers looking to experience the 2024 solar eclipse. Bart Freed’s expertise grounded the excitement in solid science and safety, while providing actionable advice for city residents. Community connection, safe viewing practices, and the awe of celestial events were at the heart of the conversation—a fitting tribute to the wonder that eclipses inspire.

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For more eclipse information, check local listings for event details and NYC Public Library’s glasses distribution.

Transcript

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[Casual Commentator]

I'm gonna put you on Neph.

[Bart Freed]

All right, unc. Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?

[Casual Commentator]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back. Listener supported WNYC Studios.

[Kusha Navadar]

This is all of it. I'm Kusha Navadar in for Alison Stewart. And now we'll talk about the upcoming solar eclipse, which will take place Monday afternoon in the New York metro area. Here in the Northeast, we won't get the chance to see another total eclipse until 20 years from now in 2044. That's because everything has to be just right. The moon needs to be aligned with the sun. It also needs to be the right distance from the Earth or else the Moon's shadow would be too small to entirely block out the sun. That's called an annular eclipse. And you need to be in just the right place on Earth. So this is a special moment for sure. So now we'll get into some of the best practices and logistics for watching Monday's eclipse and especially how to do it safely. Because, listeners, to be clear, it is not safe to look directly at the sun ever. So what are the options and where folks around the area could gather to watch the celestial event together? Joining me now is Bart Freed, executive Vice president of the New York City based Amateur Astronomers Association. Hi, Bart. Welcome to all of it.

[Bart Freed]

Hi, Kusha. It's my pleasure to be here.

[Kusha Navadar]

Let's do some basics. First, what exactly happens during a solar eclipse and why is it so infrequent?

[Bart Freed]

Well, it's. I mean, you nailed it when you said everything has to line up. So depending on where you are on the Earth, occasionally the Moon will pass directly in front of the sun. And if it is close enough to us and the distance varies on a slight percentage basis, it's a very unusual coincidence that the apparent diameter of the Moon is almost exactly the same as the apparent diameter of the Sun. And so if the Moon is Closer, it completely covers the sun. And that allows us to look at the corona, which is never visible other than during a total solar eclipse. But if the moon is further away, and then what you have is the annular eclipse, which is a, they call it the ring of fire, where you see just the ring of the sun around the edge of the moon and it's still bright enough that you can't see the corona. So what's really special about a total solar eclipse is the ability to see something that you can never see otherwise.

[Kusha Navadar]

It's like the Goldilocks situation. Everything has to be just right for folks that are planning to see it. Help us understand the timeline and the direction we should be looking. When will the eclipse begin to be visible in our area and what time will it peak?

[Bart Freed]

I think it starts around 1 o' clock in this area, 1 and 1:30, and it'll peak about 2:30 or so, and then it's done by about 3:30. Basically, it's worth watching sort of periodically throughout the whole process because what, what's fun is to watch the moon kind of slowly gobble up any sunspots that are happening on the surface of the sun. And we're near solar maximum. So it's almost a dead guarantee that there will be sunspots to sort of watch disappear.

[Kusha Navadar]

And so if folks wanted to look at it safely, obviously. Is there anything about the way the sun's light works during an eclipse that makes it more dangerous? Or is it just the fact that a lot of people, you know, more people than usual, will be trying to look at the sun?

[Bart Freed]

I think the temptation is that as the sun passes over a significant, I'm sorry, the moon passes over a significant percentage of the sun and, and is sort of gobbling it up, that the temptation is kind of to take off your glasses and try and see that naked eye. The problem is that even 10% of the sun is an exceedingly bright object for your retinas, and you really don't want to spend any time staring at the sun even at a 90% eclipse, which is almost what we're going to get here. I think we get about 88% or 89% from in New York City. There really is no good time to look at the sun naked eye. But there are plenty of options, which is, which is a good thing.

[Kusha Navadar]

Yeah, let's get into some of those options. So there's this. There are these special viewing glasses. I think everybody, you know, maybe from elementary school remembers being taught these special glasses. Where can folks get Those glasses before the big cosmic show on Monday that basically block out almost all the light.

[Bart Freed]

New Yorkers are really lucky. The New York Public Library system apparently is making solar eclipse glasses available for free. They're. They're a quality product, and you really need to make sure that if you're buying them somewhere that you're getting them from a very reputable dealer. Because, sadly, there are some products out there that claim to be certified, but in fact, they're fraudulent, and they may or may not actually be safe enough. So you definitely want to get them from a reputable dealer, but from the public library, you. You go, and. And they'll just hand you a pair.

[Kusha Navadar]

We actually did just get a text from a guest that I want to ask is our glasses from? So this caller just asked us if glasses from 2017 are still usable. Was that.

[Bart Freed]

Yes, they don't go bad. As long as they haven't been scratched or damaged in any way, they should still be good. But the assumption is that the pair that you got back then were legitimately certified and a quality product. So if you don't know that to be the case, you know, why not get a free pair from the library? And. And then you're. Then you know, you're safe. And of course, the other thing you can do is, in terms of naked eye, you can just do solar projection, which is, you know, you can do a pinhole projection system. And there are many ways to do that that you can look up online. One of the funniest ways to do it is to hold up a colander, like a spaghetti colander, that has, you know, hundreds of holes, and you cast these images onto the ground, and you see instead of one partial eclipse, you see hundreds of little partial eclipses. So that's always very sort of picturesque.

[Kusha Navadar]

And then you can make spaghetti afterwards for dinner, and then dinner and a.

[Bart Freed]

Show and a glass of wine. Toast your success. New York apparently is gonna. The city is going to have some great weather. It looks like the forecast is really optimal from here in New York City. So for people who can't get to a spot where totality is visible, it is definitely worth watching even a good partial solar eclipse.

[Kusha Navadar]

So I want to get into some places where that is possible. We did just get another text before we get to where the word corona is a word that you used when describing the interaction and the image created between the sun and the moon. Can you just define that for listeners?

[Bart Freed]

Sure. So the solar corona is sort of an enigmatic thing. It is a. A portion of the Sun's atmosphere, that it expands well out past what we see as the visible disk. And it's actually a plasma. And if I recollect correctly, its temperature is close somewhere in the neighborhood of a million degrees. So it, but it's, it's a, it's the kind of thing where it measures or it's given as a million degrees. But that doesn't mean necessarily that it's a million degrees hot, you know, that it's going to melt everything in sight. That's not actually the case because it's a, it's a plasma, but it's not visible. It's not bright enough to see at any given time when you can see any part of the sun. So for example, in an annular eclipse, only a small percentage of the sun is actually visible, yet that's still bright enough to swamp out the corona.

[Casual Commentator]

Right.

[Kusha Navadar]

And I'd love to get to some of the local events before we close out. So your organization, the Amateur Astronomers association is going to be hosting a public observation at Greenwood Cemetery. And the events flyer says that there are going to be special edition glasses and telescopes with solar filters as well as music, hands on activities and self guided tours. What kinds of hands on activities will be there?

[Bart Freed]

I not terribly sure only because I've been planning on heading out to Texas. But typically it'll be something like where, where kids can draw the sun and draw the planets and things like that and, or there will be models of the solar system I imagine, or things that they can make. So that's usually what we do. I'm not sure we're doing it by the way, in conjunction with Pioneer Works. So you know, big shout out to them and with, in conjunction with Greenwood Cemetery itself. So we expect, we've got, I think on order we bought 5,000 pairs of Eclipse, special edition eclipse glasses. Wow.

[Kusha Navadar]

And can you just go over those details one more time? Where's the where and the time?

[Bart Freed]

So it'll be at Greenwood Cemetery, which is in Brooklyn. And you know you can get, I mean you can visit Greenwood Cemetery at any time but during the day. But you really want to be there, you know, when the eclipse occurs. And so you want to be there, let's say from, from about 1 to 4 in that, in that area. The actual event is 130 to 5. That's being, you know, supported by us and by Pioneer Works.

[Kusha Navadar]

And it sounds like partiality begins at 2:15 and the peak in Eastern Time is at 3:25 for listeners.

[Bart Freed]

Sounds about right.

[Kusha Navadar]

Yeah.

[Bart Freed]

Yeah.

[Kusha Navadar]

Well Bart, thank you so much. Bart Freed is the executive vice president of the New York City based Amateur Astronomers Association. Thank you so much for joining us and for going through all that with us. Really appreciate it.

[Bart Freed]

Well, it's really my pleasure and good luck to everybody that we all have good weather for the eclipse.

[Kusha Navadar]

Yeah. And listeners. On Monday, we'll close out our show by talking with Rebecca Boyle, a science writer and author of a new book called Our How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution and Made Us who We Are. And we'll also hear from WNYC Gothamist reporter Rosemary Misdry, who will be at AAA's event in Greenwood Cemetery.

[Casual Commentator]

I' ma put you on, nephew.

[Bart Freed]

All right. Unk. Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?

[Casual Commentator]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's Snack rap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.

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