By Natavia Royes
On a normal day in early April, the blue sky turned dark almost like a veil was cast over the sky. Some might have been frightened or confused but that’s what happens when the moon eclipses the sun, causing the sunlight to be blocked and resulting in the sudden darkness. A total solar eclipse, meaning the moon completely covers the sun, happens about every four hundred years at any given location, so in many ways, a solar eclipse is just a big coincidence.
According to Oregon State University, “A solar eclipse occurs when the moon “eclipses” the sun. This means that the moon, as it orbits the Earth, comes in between the sun and the Earth, thereby blocking the sun and preventing any sunlight from reaching us.”
On April 8, a solar eclipse took place, with the path of totality spanning from Mexico, crossing the U.S into Canada. According to NASA, U.S. states in its path included Texas, Maine, Ohio, Indiana, New York and more. Though Brooklyn wasn’t in the path of totality, luckily we were still able to view the eclipse. BILA students enjoyed a slightly early dismissal from school and were given free solar eclipse glasses by staff members to enjoy the view of the eclipse.
Here are some reactions of our BILA students and staff. Allison Dodard, a 9th grader at BILA shared her reaction with us: “It was interesting, really interesting. Some of my friends tried to get superpowers from the eclipse. My brother saw it, my dog saw it. My dog started howling at the sun. I used the glasses the school gave us. They looked like movie 3D glasses!” Allison and her friends and family enjoyed viewing the eclipse.
While some students loved it, there were other students who were not impressed. Here is how a student who didn’t enjoy the eclipse as much as Allision reacted. Ziddadine Ireland, a 10th grader here at BILA stated, “I stayed inside. It was whack – it wasn’t a total eclipse.”
Although students have expressed their opinion, they aren’t the only ones who watched the eclipse. Ms. Springborn, a teacher at BILA said,
“I stared at the sun with proper protection and sang along to [the song] Total Eclipse of the Heart out in front of the Wingate steps. It was an iconic way to spend my eclipse.”
BILA staff using their eclipse glasses to view the solar eclipse in April
Solar eclipses happen all the time but a total eclipse is rare, and happens about every one to three years. However, a total solar eclipse here in North America is extremely rare. According to CBS News and Weather Underground there have only been 10-15 total solar eclipses visible in the U.S. including April 8th of this year. The Great American Eclipse says there’ve been 68 total solar eclipses in the 21st century.
Lohud tells us that: “The next time New York will be on the path of totality for a total solar eclipse is 55 years from now on May 1, 2079. The eclipse will start at sunrise and reach totality at 6:07 a.m. for 59 seconds.” Most seniors in BILA will be around 72 and 73 years old by the time that the next eclipse is visible in New York!
The next total solar eclipse won’t be visible to us until some time in 2026 according to timeanddate, so this is truly a shocking experience for many who might not have experienced it. Finally, below are some pictures of people’s reactions and stories about the eclipse, from across the globe.
The BILA Wave 
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