The Great North American Eclipse April 8, 2024!

Join the Maria Mitchell Association astronomers and staff, in collaboration with the  Nantucket Public Schools, the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club, and the Nantucket Community School for a very special and safe viewing of the upcoming Great American solar eclipse! A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is slightly closer to the Earth in its orbit causing the disk of the Moon to completely obscure the disk of the Sun producing a shadow of darkness cast on the earth and the projection of the Sun’s corona around the perimeter of the Moon’s disk.

On Earth, the narrow shadow of the Moon is a result of the proximity of the Earth to the moon with the broadest band of obscurity beginning at the point of obscuration and thinning, further away from the Moon. Due to this phenomenon, total eclipses are short-lived events as the moon moves quickly away from its perfect location between the Sun and the Earth.

Across North America, on April 8, 2024, everyone inside the shadow will experience the breathtaking sight of the Sun’s corona during the total solar eclipse. Though we are not in the shadow of totality, from Nantucket, we will be able to safely observe an 87% obscurity of the Sun by the Moon with appropriate viewing tools.

We welcome visitors to stop by the old NHS baseball field (adjacent to Newtown Cemetery) between 2:30 and 4:30pm to check out the view of the Sun using our safe solar telescope, sun spotter, and special keepsake MMA eclipse glasses. There will be different stations and activities for safe sun viewing.

This program is designed to be interesting for everyone.

Solar Eclipse Details for Nantucket, April 8, 2024:

• Partiality starts at 14:17 EST
• Maximum partial eclipse at 15:30 EST (87% obscurity)
• Partiality ends at 16:39 EST