Strasenburgh Planetarium > Shows & Events
Partial Eclipse Viewing
Enjoy the partial eclipse with insights from astronomy experts! Join RMSC staff members and knowledgeable volunteers from the Astronomy Section, Rochester Academy of Science for free, eye-safe viewing of the eclipse.
⚠️ It is never safe to look directly at the sun during a partial eclipse without specialized eye protection!
Eclipse glasses are available for purchase at the RMSC Museum & Science Center, Strasenburgh Planetarium & Cumming Nature Center for $2.50 each
Event details
A partial solar eclipse will be visible from Rochester on Saturday, October 14, 2023 (weather permitting).
Telescopes with solar filters and other methods to observe the eclipse will be available to try for free!
- (Safely) view the partial solar eclipse! 25% of the sun will be covered at maximum.
- Solar viewing through telescopes, larger-than-life eclipse glasses, and pinhole viewers.
- Tune in to the National Livestreams of the eclipse in the Planetarium!
- Watch “Eclipse 2024!” our eclipse-themed Planetarium show, to prepare for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Showings of “Eclipse 2024!” at 9:45am, 10:30am, and 11:15am. Admission is required for shows.
- Experience the scale of our solar system with a giant inflatable sun accompanied by a to-scale Earth and Moon.
- Help us count down to the Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024.
- Eclipse glasses will be available for purchase for $2.50/pair.
October 14, 2023
Partial solar eclipse
As seen from Rochester, this will be a partial eclipse. At maximum, 25 percent of the Sun’s disk will be covered by the moon. However, from a narrow path stretching from the western U.S., through Central and South America, this will be an annular eclipse. An eclipse can be annular if it occurs when the moon is in the part of its orbit that is farthest from Earth. So the moon appears too small to cover the entire Sun. Viewers in the right locations see the Sun as a bright ring (or, in Latin, annulus) around the silhouette of the moon.
- 12pm: Partial eclipse begins
- 1:13pm: Maximum partial eclipse is reached
- 2:27pm: Partial eclipse ends
Image: Rick Flenberg, modified by Strasenburgh Planetarium.