The total solar eclipse happening on Monday, April 8th will be the last of its kind to occur in North America for 20 years! A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes in between the Earth and the Sun. While this rare occurrence may be exciting, safety is a concern. Looking directly at the Sun during a solar eclipse could severely hurt your eyes.
Allegany County is just outside of the total solar eclipse path. We will experience a partial event,with about 93% of the sun being blocked by the moon at the height of the eclipse. The eclipse will start at about 2:00 PM, peak around 3:15 PM, and end at about 4:30 PM for viewers in Allegany County. You can find exact times for your location with the NASA Interactive Eclipse Map.
Protect your eyes and view the eclipse safely with these tips from NASA:
- Stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up at the bright Sun. After glancing at the Sun, turn away and remove your filter — do not remove it while looking at the Sun.
- Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device. Similarly, do not look at the Sun through a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while using your eclipse glasses or hand-held solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury. Seek expert advice from an astronomer before using a solar filter with a camera, a telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device.
While Allegany County is outside of the “path of totality” - we aren’t far off! If you are interested in the economics of an eclipse, check out this article: https://www.naco.org/news/crowd-management-emergency-drills-top-county-eclipse-prep-checklists