Celestial Events

Downtown Post NYC

CELESTIAL EVENTS

Solar Eclipse Diary

On April 8, 2024 a partial eclipse of the sun was visible in Lower Manhattan. This is what the sky over the Hudson River looked like around 2:38 p.m. as the shadow of the moon began to pass in front of the sun. By 2:44 pm it was getting perceptibly cooler as the moon covered more of the sun. A cool breeze began to blow. By 3:00 pm it was getting even colder. The moon was creeping further and further across the sun. By 3:14 pm the moon had almost completely obscured the sun. Only a thin crescent of sunlight remained.

Many people had gathered on the roof terrace of a building in Tribeca overlooking the Hudson River. By 3:33 pm when they stopped talking, there was a deep, weighty silence. A pier in the Hudson River near that building usually serves as a respite for numerous birds, mostly gulls of various kinds, but there were no birds there during the eclipse nor were there any in the river or flying above it. By 3:44 pm, many of the eclipse watchers had left the roof. The silence was intense except for the drone of a passing helicopter. The wind was colder than ever. By 4:04 pm some gulls had returned to the river. On the rooftop railing an insect landed briefly and then moved on. A cold breeze was blowing. The sun appeared still to be partially in shadow. Not long after that, the light had returned to normal, the spectators had retreated and the birds that live on and near the river had resumed their usual activities.

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