Last July, my friend Bette suggested we all come back in April for the coming total solar eclipse. “Upstate New York is right in the path of Totality.” As we sat on her sunny porch basking in the warmth of old friendships, I couldn’t think of a better place to view this spectacle.
Wyoming Totality, August 21, 2017
My family and I had experienced the total eclipse of 2017 under vast expanses of clear blue skies in Wyoming. The weather was pleasant and our group had a perfect view from the backyard of a friend. With snacks, binoculars, and eclipse glasses, we watched the new moon slowly cover the sun.
And the natural world prepared for an unexpected night: small frogs chorused, birds sang evensong, twilight insects thrummed, and most surprising to me, flowers closed up their petals. That unforgettable experience set our expectations high for this new eclipse that astronomers had predicted would be dazzling.
Upstate New York, April 8, 2024
As the date approached, we booked our flights and an Airbnb near Bette’s home. We arrived at Syracuse’s Hancock Field filled with optimism, despite some murmuring of an overcast eclipse day. The weather the day before the eclipse was ideal, sunny and clear. Surely good luck would smile on us and all the people coming into this prime Totality viewing locale. Some sources predicted as many as a million people in the Syracuse area.
Despite our hopes, however, the sky was overcast on eclipse day. Maybe it would clear. We gathered on Bette’s porch and kept a lookout. It didn’t. The clouds stubbornly persisted to block our view. We checked outside now and then, though it was chilly to just stand and stare at the dark gray sky. When the time of Totality arrived, we hoped to see something up there. Nope.
Although the eclipse was hidden, it the affected the world around us: the temperature dropped, and the gray sky dimmed further, mimicking twilight. As in Wyoming, the insects clicked and chirped their night sounds and flowers closed, all caused by unseen events just above the cloud cover. The streetlights turned on as daytime sounds gave way to nocturnal ones. Across the lake we saw a vivid orange splash on the waters of the Canadian side. This impromptu sunset peered out just beyond the rim of the gray cumulous cloud blanket blocking our expected eclipse.
Even without a clear view, this experience was memorable. We had a great time with our long-time friends and met new friends. When you’re viewing nature, you can’t script events. Life happens, so embrace the unexpected. Was I disappointed, yes, but I can be a bit more philosophical because of our wonderful Wyoming experience. And I’m very happy that so many people got a good view of a rare cosmic event. People across the US shared a special connection with each other and with a universe larger than ourselves—one that transcends the daily news that so often divides us.