Solar eclipse path: When and where to see the afternoon sky turn dark on April 8

All eyes will be on the sky on April 8, as millions of people across America will be hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the biggest solar eclipses in decades as the moon temporarily turns daylight to darkness.

Sky watchers in parts of 15 states criss-crossing the nation will get the best view of this rare spectacle, because they will be in the so-called “path of totality” — a 115-mile-wide zone where the moon will completely block the afternoon sun for 2 to 4 minutes.

People in other states will still be able to witness a memorable event on April 8, with a partial eclipse occurring.

But before we dive into details on when and where to see the solar eclipse, make sure you follow the advice of experts and buy a pair of special safety glasses to protect your eyes from serious damage if you are planning to look at the sun. Those glasses are needed regardless of whether you are in an area that will get a partial eclipse or a total one.

When will the solar eclipse occur?

The big sky event that’s being billed as the Great American Eclipse of 2024 takes place during afternoon hours on Monday, April 8, when the moon will drift in front of the sun.

The exact times vary from region to region, so you may want to check this TimeAndDate web page to get specifics for your area. (In the search box on top, type in your town or city to get details on the eclipse starting time, maximum darkness time and ending time.)

Which states will get the best view of the eclipse?

After moving across parts of Mexico, the eclipse will begin to slowly darken sections of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Certain areas of those states are in the path of totality, so the daytime sky will look like the darkness of dawn or dusk for up to a few minutes.

To find out more about the timing of the eclipse in those states, check this solar eclipse web page.

Will New Jersey see the solar eclipse?

Although New Jersey will not be in the path of totality, about 90% of the sun will be blocked by the moon for more than an hour in the late afternoon on April 8, at about 3:25 p.m. Eastern time.

The moon will begin to drift across the sun in the Garden State region at 2:09 p.m., with the maximum darkness occurring at 3:24 p.m., and the final blockage occurring at 4:35 p.m.

At the maximum coverage of the eclipse, the sun will look like a thin crescent moon shining in the afternoon sky.

“For those witnessing a partial eclipse, the sun will consistently appear crescent-shaped, as though it is a cookie with a bite taken out of it,” said Lujendra Ojha, an assistant professor with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University. “It will never darken completely, the way it would during a total eclipse. That ‘bite’ will swell and then diminish as the eclipse progresses.”

Will NYC see the solar eclipse?

In New York City, the moon will block 89% of the sun at the height of the solar eclipse, according to NBC4 in New York.

To get the best view of the April 8 eclipse, Fox 5 News recommends that people in the Big Apple take a ride to several cities and towns in northern and western New York state that will be in the path of the total eclipse. Among them are:

• Buffalo
• Jamestown
• Lake Placid
• Plattsburgh
• Rochester
• Syracuse
• Watertown

Are safety glasses needed to look at the eclipse?

“It is absolutely necessary to wear solar eclipse glasses during the eclipse!” says Amie Gallagher, planetarium director at Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey.

“It’s the same sun that we see every day. But during an eclipse, people try to overcome their natural reflex to look away from the bright sun and stare at the eclipsing sun,” Gallagher told NJ Advance Media. “But this can injure your eyes. Even if there is the tiniest bit of sun visible, you need to have a filter.”

Special filters are also needed if you plan to snap photos of the eclipse with your cell phone or with any camera, Gallagher noted.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to buy top-of-the-line safety glasses. Experts say it’s ok to wear inexpensive cardboard glasses with solar filters — similar to the ones that were sold during the major solar eclipse in 2017.

“The cardboard solar eclipses glasses work great,” Gallagher said. “You can get them for free at some libraries or events, or buy them at museums and science centers.”

An important note if you are shopping for eclipse glasses: Gallagher said “they must have a statement printed on them that they conform to and meet the Transmission Requirements of ISO 12312-2 Filters for Direct Observation of the Sun.”

What’s the weather forecast for April 8?

It’s still too early for anyone to accurately predict the weather conditions on April 8, but some long-range forecasters — including those at AccuWeather — have already weighed in on their projections for the day of the big sky event.

“AccuWeather’s eclipse forecast is based on the long-term historical average cloud cover data used by NOAA and many others as a foundation, and then our long-range forecasters further identified weather patterns and trends that may potentially affect cloud cover to create a first look at the weather forecast for the day of the eclipse,” said Jon Porter, chief meteorologist at the private weather company.

As of now, AccuWeather says the areas with the “best chance of favorable weather for the total solar eclipse” are southern Texas and parts of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.

“The odds of cloudy weather are slightly higher in the Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley, while the Northeast faces the highest risk of clouds,” AccuWeather says. “However, there is still a chance that cloud-free weather will win out in these areas on April 8.”

Will the eclipse cause cellphone disruptions?

Some public safety officials, including State Police in New York, are warning people to brace for possible cellphone disruptions and strains on fuel demand for all the extra cars and people that will be traveling to see the eclipse across the path of totality.

“Cellular networks may be overloaded by high volume,” the New York State Police said in a recent press release. On top of that, call volume to the state’s 911 emergency system may rise because of the big influx of people flocking to the state to see the eclipse.

Will the eclipse cause flight delays?

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a special notice expressing concerns about potential flight delays and rerouting of planes near areas of the U.S. that will see the total solar eclipse during the daytime on April 8.

Those areas, criss-crossing 15 states, are expected to draw the biggest number of visitors to catch a glimpse of the full eclipse.

The FAA says there could be “impacts to air traffic and airports along the eclipse path” for several days, from 6 a.m. on April 7 through midnight on April 10.

Stories by Len Melisurgo

• N.J. weather: More heavy rain to drench state, sparking flood alerts and wind warnings
• N.J. weather: Stormy start to April in forecast, after record March rainfall
• April solar eclipse sparks warnings about cellphones, flight delays, fuel demand

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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.