Rare total solar eclipse to sweep through Oswego in 2024

OSWEGO N.Y. –  Dust off your eclipse glasses! We are almost a year away from a total solar eclipse that is set to appear across parts of North America, Mexico, and Canada. 

This exceedingly rare event is set to take place over Oswego on April 8, 2024. The rarity behind the event is the fact that total solar eclipses are only visible in a narrow strip. A total solar eclipse usually only occurs somewhere on Earth about once every 18 months, though most times they occur over a path of water, which covers about 70% of Earth’s surface.  

“Basically it has to do with the position of the sun, the moon, and the earth and how the shadows are cast to basically block out the sun as those bodies kind of overlap with one another,” said Katelyn Barber, a meteorologist professor at SUNY Oswego.

SUNY Oswego is on the 2024 Eclipse’s path of trajectory, as well as other various western New York regions such as Rochester and Buffalo. 

“Oswego is really lucky, we’re right on the path of totality so anywhere within Oswego itself, obviously the lake is going to be a really pretty viewpoint if you want those gorgeous pictures,” Barber said.

The 2024 event is notable as the next time a total eclipse will be visible over the continental U.S. won’t be until 2044.