Buffalo State to Kick Off Yearlong Countdown to Total Solar Eclipse

A rare total solar eclipse will be visible throughout Western New York on April 8, 2024, and Buffalo State University’s Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium is kicking off a yearlong celebration.

The planetarium will host “Countdown to Totality” during an open house on Saturday, April 8, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Science and Mathematics Complex atrium outside the planetarium.

This free public event will show participants what happens during a total solar eclipse and will include presentations from people who have witnessed them. Attendees can also participate in activities that simulate an eclipse and learn how to safely view a solar eclipse.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss and celebrate this very rare occurrence,” said Kevin Williams, associate professor of earth sciences and director of the planetarium. “For most locations, a total solar eclipse only occurs once every 300 to 400 years. For it to happen, there must be an exact alignment of the moon between the earth and the sun. For just a few minutes at any location along the path of totality, the moon’s shadow will block out the sun’s light. For Buffalo next April, totality will last just under four minutes.”

During the open house, Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner and other speakers will share a few words with the audience, after which Williams will start the “Countdown to Totality” clock at 3:18 p.m.—exactly one year before the total solar eclipse is set to arrive on campus.

“We’re fortunate to live in a time when we can experience this amazing celestial event in Buffalo,” said Conway-Turner, who has designated April 2023–2024 as the Year of the Eclipse. “We look forward to welcoming visitors of all ages to our campus for our Countdown to Totality open house, which will be educational and fun. Hopefully, they will also return for the wonderful programming our planetarium offers on a regular basis.”

 Williams has already granted media interviews about the upcoming eclipse, including one featured in the Buffalo News.

“Excitement about this once-in-a-lifetime event is definitely building across Buffalo,” Williams said. “More than a thousand hotel rooms have already been booked, and tour packages are also being reserved.”

Williams said planetarium programming throughout the Year of the Eclipse will focus on issues related to the eclipse. And the university is planning to host another open house on Saturday, October 14, to coincide with a partial solar eclipse visible from Buffalo on that date.

The planetarium hosted a celebration at Buffalo State for the partial solar eclipse in 2017, which more than 2,000 individuals attended.

“We know that in Western New York, people are really fascinated with these types of celestial events,” Williams said. “They ask great questions and want to fully experience them.”

No tickets are required to the attend the Countdown to Totality open house, but participants are asked to register in advance on the planetarium’s event page.

Photo by Jongsun Lee.