A Day Without a Night and a Night Without a Day! Observing and Understanding the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

with Luke Keller, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Ithaca College. 

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun casting its shadow on Earth’s surface. Because of a slight tilt in the moon’s orbit around the Earth we don’t get a solar eclipse every time the moon completes an orbit. Solar eclipses happen about twice a year, but the shadow rarely passes over populated areas often passing over the oceans. The eclipse of April 2024 will be a rare treat because the moon’s shadow will pass across central America and the continental U.S. so it will be visible to tens of millions of people including our communities right here in the Adirondacks. Join us for a presentation and discussion of solar eclipses, the details of how and why they happen, and how to safely observe them.