On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse of the sun will occur across New York State for the first time in nearly a century. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon moves between the sun and Earth. During a total solar eclipse, people in the path of totality see the sun's disk completely covered by the moon for a brief time. The path of totality will stretch across a large swath of upstate New York from its southwest corner to its northern border with Canada. The last total solar eclipse in New York State occurred in January 1925. The next total eclipse in the United States won't occur until 2045. New York State won't experience its next total eclipse until 2079.
April 8, 2024, falls on the final Monday of our Spring break. The school campus and offices will be closed to the public for the afternoon. There will be no school events scheduled on campus after 12 noon. The eclipse will take place from 2:06 to 4:33 p.m. EST, while the total solar eclipse will be visible from approximately 3:20 to 3:23 p.m. in Livingston County. While this is a unique opportunity, we would like to be sure that all families understand the safety precautions that must be taken during an eclipse. Livonia Central School District is not promoting or endorsing any particular eclipse viewing event. However, as educators, we wish to provide students and staff with accurate information and safety reminders should you choose to view the total eclipse on April 8, 2024. We emphasize the critical message that you do not look directly at an eclipse. If you plan to participate in an eclipse viewing, please reinforce this message at home.
Livingston County Tourism office has provided safe eclipse viewing glasses to Livonia CSD free of charge. We will distribute the eclipse viewing glasses on behalf of the Livingston County Tourism Office to all of our students and staff so that they can witness the 2024 eclipse, if you choose. The glasses we will provide are the official viewing glasses for LivCo Sol and the Livingston County Tourism Office has indicated that they are safe for viewing (ISO 12312-2:2015). Please take steps to verify the safety of the glasses at home and ensure the glasses your child brings home are the glasses provided by the Livingston County Tourism Office. The glasses will be distributed to students through their homerooms the week of March 18 – 22, 2024.
Safety Reminders
- Wear protective eclipse shades when looking directly at the sun (sunglasses are not appropriate eyewear).
- Students should look away from the sun before making adjustments to or removing their protective eyewear.
- Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device.
Eclipse Websites
- https://science.nasa.gov/eclip...
- https://www.visitlivco.com/liv...
- https://www.greatamericaneclip...
- https://eclipse.aas.org/
Please contact your child’s school building main office if you have any questions. Thank you.