The East Meadow community takes a moment to look ‘up’

Bright skies, warm weather and little to no clouds made Monday the perfect day to look at the sky in awe. Long Island was treated to a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle: a partial solar eclipse.

Across the country, as people flocked to places like Texas, upstate New York and Illinois to see a total eclipse, around East Meadow and the rest of Long Island, residents turned their heads to the sky to experience about 90 percent darkness.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon completely covers the sun, casting a shadow on Earth. During a total solar eclipse, the sky darkens significantly, and the sun’s corona becomes visible. Total solar eclipses are relatively rare events and can only be seen within the narrow path of totality.

On Long Island, residents were treated to a partial eclipse, when the moon partially covers the sun as seen from Earth. This happens when the alignment between the sun, moon and Earth only partially blocks the sun’s disk. These types of eclipses are more common and can be seen from a broader geographic area.

Gazing up at the sky can be dangerous in an eclipse, because the intensity of the sunlight is extremely bright and intense. Looking directly at the sun, even for a short period of time, can cause significant eye damage. Donning special glasses, that are nearly impossible to see through, East Meadow residents kept their eyes safe during the epic, solar event.

The next time a total solar eclipse will touch down on Long Island isn’t until 2079 — 55 years from now, making April 8’s out-of-this-world phenomenon just a little bit more memorable.

If you want to donate your eclipse glasses to a great cause, the Queens College Knights Table is asking people to mail them to a collection center in Utah. The glasses will then be sent to Latin America, where there will be an eclipse in August 2024. The address to send them to is Eclipse Glasses USA, LCC, P.O. Box 50571, Provo, Utah 84605. Donations must be receieved before Aug. 1.