April 8, 2024: 99.96% Eclipse Day at Fort Stanwix

A once in a lifetime image of the April 8, 2024 "deep-partial" solar eclipse as viewed from the grounds of Fort Stanwix National Monument. The park and its surrounding community won't witness a comparable phenomenon again until at least the year 2079.

National Park Service/ VIP Dan U.

On the afternoon of Monday, April 8, 2024, Fort Stanwix National Monument and nearly 1,550 guests, along with nearly three dozen park volunteers and staff members, experienced a 99.96% deep partial eclipse. The next time a near total eclipse can be viewed from park grounds will be in the year 2079. And, the next time a total eclipse will be viewed at this location will take place over 200 years from the writing of this article!

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon completely blocks the Earth's view of the Sun. Total eclipses only happen in one specific location once every 400 years or so.

If the Moon crosses the Sun off center as seen from your location, you get only a partial solar eclipse, with the Moon’s silhouette making what looks like a dent in the Sun’s brilliant face.

A deep partial eclipse, where the dent is big, turns the Sun into a dazzling crescent. As seen on the ground, the sky darkens and air cools. Half the sky becomes a beautiful sunset and the other half (in complete totality) becomes dark as night.

As a record for posterity, all scientific data, images, and observations of the event have been gathered here.

National Park Service/VIP TR

TIME EDST	Eclipse Cover or Magnitude	Temperature*	Observations/Notes
1:30 pm		83°F / 27.7°C **	ALT = 43° AZ = 231°
2:10:10 pm	First Contact, >1%		All heads turn up to the sky facing southwest.
2:11 pm		81°F / 27.2°C
3:00 pm		73°F / 22.7°C	Cloud coverage thickens.
3:10 pm		68.5°F / 20.27°C	Most birds appear to stop flying above park grounds. Begins to “feel” considerably colder.
3:16 pm			Park trail lights and patio bollard lamps turn on.
3:21 pm			Lights on commercial medical facility across street turn on. Visitors notice earthworms emerging from grass.
3:23 pm	Second Contact, >99%		Streetlights in area surrounding come on. Someone reports being bit by a mosquito!
3:24 pm		61.5°F / 16.38°C	Sky became very dark, cirrostratus clouds and stratus clouds became very dark - it looked like a very heavy cold front was approaching, but the sky and clouds were darkened by the moon's shadow. Visitor dogs remain quiet and calm. None are caught “watching” the eclipse.
3:24:42 pm	Totality, 99.96% Noted as “Deep-Partial Totality” by NASA.		The shadow passed from SW to NE. To the east, the area streets and the grounds of the fort looked like the area does 45 minutes to an hour after sunset on a normal day at this time of year. To the west, it is COMPLETELY DARK! All city streetlights are on as if it were midnight. Cloud coverage allows unprotected view of deep-partial totality without viewing glasses. Barley a sliver of sun remains, but clouds define outline surprisingly well.
3:26 pm	Third Contact, <99%		The clouds returned to the brighter cirrus and cirrostratus clouds that covered the area before the eclipse.
3:43 pm		59°F / 15°C	It begins to brighten.
3:49 pm		60.4°F / 15.7°C
3:55 pm		65°F / 18.3°C	Begins to “feel warm” again.
4:00 pm		68°F / 20°C	Clouds thicken to the point where phenomenon is not viewable, even with solar filters.
4:25:27 pm	Fourth Contact, <1%		Nothing more visible even with solar filter viewers.
All observations and measurments taken from within 50 meters of 43.21024124824035 / -75.45705656296334 *Temperature measurements taken in Farenheit on tabletop on green fabric. Later converted to Celsius. **Taken in sunlight. All others taken in shade beneath telescope.

National Park Service/VIP TR

WITH THANKS:

The Solar Eclipse Viewing Party event was held on the west park lawn and cohosted by the City of Rome, NY, Jervis Public Library, Rome Connected Community Schools, and the New York State Power Authority Engergy Zone.

Scientific data was collected by geoglogist and park volunteer Bob A. Observations were taken by park staff, volunteers, and guests.
Images were captured by park volunteers Tom R. and Dan U., as well as collected from WKTV Newschannel 2 and the Utica Observer Dispatch.