Amanda Wood started her day off in a taciturn mood at Le Moyne College, underwhelmed by all the talk of the big event. Monday was just any other day for her. She picked up her solar eclipse glasses from the campus life staff and spent the morning lounging.
“This eclipse will not affect my day,” she said. “I don’t understand the hype.”
Wood was among hundreds of Le Moyne students, faculty, administrators, neighbors and visitors who gathered at the center of campus or nearby on Monday afternoon to play Frisbee, relax on blankets, set up telescopes and view the eclipse while enjoying some unseasonably warm weather.
Le Moyne was beneath the “path of totality” for the first total solar eclipse in Central New York since 1925. A sunny morning led to hopes of clear viewing. As the day progressed, clouds rolled in and by 3:23 p.m., when the sun was fully eclipsed by the moon, the sky was gloomy and cloud-covered.
Yet the sun and the moon still played “peek-a-boo,” emerging enough for all those looking up to catch an occasional glimpse of the early stages of the eclipse before totality, when the sun disappeared and the entire campus was darkened, for more than a minute.
Before the eclipse, Wood’s discouraged spirit had frustrated her friends, so they begged her to come on campus to enjoy the eclipse and see how an astronomical event could bring the whole community together.
A little before three o’clock, Wood and her friends made their way to campus and headed for the quad, where everyone was. They all sat down on a blanket, and Wood was fascinated by what was going on in front of her eyes.
Suddenly, the world started to go darker and darker with every minute. And at 3:23 p.m., totality began, and the world stood still. Happy screams and clapping were heard throughout campus.
The look on Wood’s face was priceless. A huge smile plastered her face. She couldn’t take her eyes off the sky: It was magnificent.
The energy of the Le Moyne campus had a beautiful effect not only on Wood but on many students and faculty members. To commemorate the event, a group of student journalists from Le Moyne documented the experience by fanning out across Central and Northern New York. They shared reactions and observations through the lens of people from all walks of life who were watching the eclipse.
The description of Wood was provided by student journalist Delaina Palmatier. The following accounts – from the reflection of a 101-year-old in an independent living home in Liverpool to the the idea of “history in the making” by a Syracuse University history major – were all captured Monday afternoon.
Each piece is followed by the name of the student who wrote it.
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Ryan Richard O’Connor had traveled to Inlet from Sharon Springs to watch the eclipse through his special high-powered telescope. O’Connor wanted to come to the Adirondacks to see the eclipse because he lives nearby in Albany and because it was in the path of totality.
O’Connor said it was “meant to be” that out of the 99-year-span in which the eclipse could fall, he got a telescope last year around this time. Little did he know what an impactful experience he would have a year later. O’Connor said one thing he was disappointed with was the clouds and the overcast weather, but he will never forget the spiritual impact the eclipse will leave in his mind.
O’Connor couldn’t believe the traffic and crowds that visited the Old Forge area. Outside of his environmental hobbies, he works as a nurse and enjoys spending time with his wife and family.
By Lily Christopher
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In Sandy Pond, right next to Lake Ontario, Jessie Fiumano and his family watched the eclipse from beginning to end. When the eclipse reached totality, everyone was cheering from the lake to the pond.
Fiumano said the experience felt surreal, and he was fascinated with how perfectly the moon covered the sun. He also said it was cool how it went from dark to light so fast and confused the wildlife. He said that when it went dark and totality began, birds came flying out and when it became light they went back to the trees.
He said that the fish in the pond thought it was time to feed because it was dark and he heard a couple of fish jump. He also noticed as it began to get brighter that there was a fog over the pond that was not there previously.
The one difficulty Fiumano had with the experience was the clouds and the solar eclipse glasses as they clashed with each other, so you could rarely see the shape of the sun through the glasses before totality. But the clouds did not hold back the beauty and surreal qualities of totality.
By Brooklynn Fiumano
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As Syracuse residents gathered outside Monday to watch the total solar eclipse, they were joined by thousands of individuals who traveled far and near to get a glimpse of the celestial phenomenon.
One of those individuals traveled all the way from her East Boston residence in Massachusetts to view the eclipse. Molly Hubert, joined by her husband Billy and black lab, Rudy, decided to watch from the Woodland Reservoir, located in Syracuse’s Strathmore neighborhood, a high spot in the region just a short walk from her mother’s home.
“It was the perfect spot,” Hubert said. “It was good viewing and I had great visibility, minus the crappy cloud coverage.”
As the moon began to block out the sun’s rays, Hubert recalls a very eerie setting, joking about the possibility of “the rapture,” an event that has been a very popular topic of conversation among multiple social media platforms leading up to the eclipse.
Some theorized that the cosmic phenomenon and the recent earthquake felt in New Jersey and New York align with Revelation 6:12-14 from the Book of Revelations, which describes a great earthquake and the sun becoming “black as sackcloth” before the second coming of Jesus.
The sunlight diminished and a soft twilight lit the area, but even that too would be gone in a matter of moments as the moon quickly blocked out the sun.
“I enjoyed the eclipse, I felt like it was a once in a lifetime experience,” Hubert said. “I’m glad I made the trip. Despite the bad cloud coverage, it was the probably the best viewing experience that anyone could have gotten.”
By Annie Hubert
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This eclipse was a great opportunity at Le Moyne to go outside and spend time with friends. “I’m glad I got to be with friends around me,” stated Mya McLean-Wilson, a sophomore who spoke of her experience while seeing the eclipse take place.
McLean-Wilson and many other Le Moyne goers watched the eclipse on the grass near the quad. Leading up to totality, she thought it was nerve-wracking watching the sky get dark so quickly, and although the cloud coverage was a bit of a letdown, she still felt excited as totality happened.
While McLean-Wilson wasn’t surprised by the large numbers of people who came outside to watch, she wasn’t expecting all of the applause leading up to and during totality: “It was kind of exciting and made it more entertaining when it was happening.”
After the exhilaration from Monday, McLean-Wilson hopes she can one day travel to experience another solar eclipse in her life.
By Allyson Vail
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Colin Harrington, a student attending SUNY-Oswego, witnessed the eclipse first-hand, on his campus.
“Everyone at SUNY-Oswego was talking about the eclipse, so my friends and I decided to see what everyone was excited about, and I never experienced one in my life,” said Harrington. He said SUNY Oswego did a good job at promoting the eclipse and telling students about what to do when they encountered it.
The clouds made it difficult to see the eclipse in Oswego, which for Harrington somewhat made it less enjoyable. What made the event more enjoyable was the people he met as everyone gathered to look at it and to see the collective awe when the totality occurred.
“There were a lot of events going around in the area and I was around mostly students during the eclipse. All around the energy from everyone made the experience enjoyable,” said Harrington.
Even though it was cloudy, he managed to capture the beautiful scene in a photo that will remind him of the mysterious and enchanting beauty that lies beyond the clouds, forever capturing the awe and wonder he felt in that fleeting moment.
“The photo that I took will remind me of the first experience I had with the eclipse because I will not be able to see another one in my life,” he said.
By Edgar Douad
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Kaelin Thomas, a Le Moyne student, took a trip to nearby Cedar Bay Park in Fayetteville, with friends. It was a nice place to view the eclipse since the quad at Le Moyne College was packed with people. When they arrived the parking lot was full, and people were sitting on blankets looking up at the sky almost like it was the Fourth of July and they were watching fireworks.
They were there for about 20 minutes and nothing seemed to be happening. Thomas kept looking through the sky for the sun but he couldn’t see anything because of how cloudy it was.
Then, about 10 minutes later, the air became colder and the sky became darker. This is when everyone knew it was about to happen. Then the sky became completely dark and the street lights came on. It looked like it was midnight.
Still, though, nothing was really visible through the glasses. This is because of how cloudy it was. Thomas said, “It was awesome when it got dark, but the clouds sort of killed the experience for me. I wish the skies could have been clearer.”
It was definitely a once and a lifetime experience for him and he wished to see another eclipse in the future – hopefully with clear skies.
By Charles Moore
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It was history in the making, and for Syracuse University history major Max Sype, it was a moment he could not miss.
April 8 marked the arrival of the total eclipse that would pass through Syracuse. The last total eclipse in New York was recorded back in 1925. A new moment to be written in the books was about to happen.
Since he was young, Sype knew exactly what he wanted to be: a history professor. Hailing from the suburbs of Chicago, he initially attended Le Moyne College, then chose to study at Syracuse University due to its history program.
Syracuse, as he put it, “has a richer history than the town I live in” He came to Syracuse to study the past and didn’t realize he would be witnessing a monumental moment of totality.
The day started uneventfully for such a significant event. Sype recounted that two out of his three classes for the day had been canceled due to the astronomical occasion.
Sype said the Syracuse campus was ripe with celebration for the eclipse; he could feel the excitement all around. The cafeteria even had novelty cookies. Everyone it seemed, was ready for the big day.
What stuck with Sype was the shared experience of it all. “I was walking to the main area of campus and was suddenly surrounded by people” He remembers, “I just started talking to random students, it was cool and surreal.”
When the moon finally eclipsed the sun, Sype was awestruck. It was as if someone had turned off the lights and the campus turned to night in an instant. He balanced being in the moment and taking some pictures as mementos of the event. Even after the eclipse was over, he stayed on the quad and continued talking to his peers and professors.
“My favorite part of it all was the community,” Sype recalls “Don’t get me wrong, the eclipse was amazing but just being out with all these people united in this historical shared experience is something I will never forget.”
By Nate Kwait
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When the day for the eclipse arrived, the Le Moyne College campus was full of students, faculty, and parents eager to watch the sun become completely engulfed by the moon. Hundreds of people flooded the quad – the space of grass and pavement between the academic buildings and dormitories – hoping to see the spectacular show of lights.
Taylor Cuddeback was one of many Le Moyne students who watched the eclipse; she notes that she was worried about the overcast conditions and clouds preventing her from seeing it. She said that she was excited but scared because she knew the eclipse would suddenly turn the sky dark, making it seem as if it were night time.
She revealed that she is scared of the dark, but when the time came she was focused on taking pictures and not missing a moment, and because she knew the sky would turn dark she was prepared.
During the course of a 30-minute period, while everything built toward the total eclipse, viewers made gasping sounds as the sun and moon revealed small parts of the actual eclipse to our eyes.
Cuddeback, like many others, also voiced concern about the eclipse glasses that were passed around before it started: She noted she could not see anything through them and worried how she would watch the eclipse.
But after totality, and the moon began moving away from the sun, viewers could see a bright orange glow through the glasses, caused by the sun peeking through.
Overall, Cuddeback recalls the experience to be exciting and worth the wait. Her only complaint was that she wishes she could have seen the eclipse better, without the clouds blocking most of the action.
By Syd Kellogg
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The solar eclipse is a phenomenon that is a rarity to experience. This event does not come
around often and it is even more special when you are in a place that is in the complete line of totality.
In Adams, the expected totality was at 100% and this was cause for celebration. At exactly 3:25 p.m., a group of spectators took a shot of bourbon and cheered to the complete coverage of the sun. A part of the group was 22-year-old Kyle Price from Poughkeepsie. He was invited to his friend’s house in Adams to watch the eclipse.
Price recalls what it felt like when it went dark, saying: “It got very cold and the birds started acting crazy. We saw a helicopter circling and it felt eerie.”
Overall, Price enjoyed the event:
“I thought it was a really cool and a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Price. He went on to note that he was nervous about today. “I was honestly a little scared and in awe at the same time. To think it was dark out at 3:25 in the afternoon was weird but cool to me. The overall experience was very cool and I was happy to be able to be there for it,” states Price.
By Sophia Bisognano
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Isabela Holguin, a biology major at Le Moyne College, sat Monday on the quad with some friends who were waiting patiently for the eclipse to commence.
Before the start of the eclipse, Holguin also walked around. She made conversation with many different groups of people and participated in passing around a football.
Holguin said she heard about the eclipse last semester from a professor who was excited to
share the rare occasion with his students.
This possibly “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity brings people together. Holguin remarked, “Not trying to be weird or anything but it makes me so happy to see everyone outside on a beautiful day.”
Even if there wasn’t a massive buildup within the community like there was, she believes she would still venture to see the eclipse.
Holguin admires the people who showed up with telescopes and special equipment for the viewing. She vocalized that it’s incredible to witness people’s unique hobbies in person.
The eclipse is an alluring spectacle, so Holguin was “bummed” it was cloudy. However, the atmosphere and fresh air helped build spirit. She commented, even though it was hard to see, there’s “nothing wrong with having a good day outside.”
Holquin joked: “They were just changing the light bulb.”
By Sofi Cartini
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Frances Rappazzo didn’t get a great view of the eclipse due to overcast skies, but that didn’t make the moment any less special. The 101-year old resident of the Parkrose Estates in Liverpool has lived a long life, and she has been blessed to experience multiple solar eclipses in her time.
This event brought back memories of an eclipse she saw as a schoolgirl in Sicily.
“Our teacher suspended class, and brought us outside to an open field across the street”, Rappazzo recalls. She remembers “laying down in the grass and looking up in the sky”, being amazed by the beauty of it all.
“It felt like a gift from God”.
Rappazzo warns that “you can quickly forget small moments like these.” She hopes that everyone takes the time to “write down their experience today, so the memory never gets lost.”
By Andrew Janowski
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On Monday, under the slightly clear skies of North Syracuse and amidst the warmth of a perfect 65-degree day, the back yard of the Cummings family transformed into a makeshift observatory.
As the celestial event of the decade approached, excitement bubbled among the family members gathered, each one clutching a pair of eclipse glasses. Michael Cummings, the youngest cousin in the family, shared his thoughts, drawing a contrast with his experience from seven years prior.
“Yeah, I got a chance to catch the half-eclipse in 2017,” he reminisced. “It was cool, but nothing beats the full deal. I think we’re in for a treat.”
As 3:23 p.m. drew near, conversations dwindled, and all eyes turned skyward. The gradual movement of the moon across the sun captivated the onlookers, culminating in a moment of totality that seemed to pause time itself. The backyard, bathed in an eerie twilight, offered a front-row seat to the sun’s corona—a halo of light that Michael described as “something straight out of a sci-fi movie.”
As the sunlight gradually returned after about a minute, reflections on the experience began. “It was awesome to see the sky go dark and the animals’ reactions to it. But I think sharing the moment with family made it even more special,” Michael said.
Nods of agreement followed, with the family lingering outside, not quite ready to let go of the magic of the day.
By La Quida Cummings
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Chrystal Barrigar was very excited to wear the “eclipse glasses” given to us by her aunt, Cindy, whose family came over to watch this once-in-a-lifetime moment at Barrigar’s home in Jordan, about 25 miles west of campus.
She began to watch the time tick until the predicted minute when the eclipse was supposed to be in the path of totality. She made plans for her immediate family and extended family (and dogs) to watch from her back yard at her house.
As the sky started to dim to a muddled gray, she became excited and began taking pictures and videos of the sky and our surroundings. Eventually the eclipse was able to be seen momentarily, but only a fragment of the larger moon, which left Barrigar feeling let down. An almost crescent shape emerged from the sky as the clouds seemed to part.
Overall, Barrigar thought it was comical how it was more enjoyable from her living room, on the news, instead of outside – due to clearer images of totality on television.
By Michael Barrigar
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As part of the eclipse day celebrations, Dr. Jason Luscier led a hike in the Le Moyne College woods to observe not only the celestial phenomenon, but also the wildlife reactions to the event.
Stephanie Duscher, a current senior at Le Moyne, had not originally intended to take the walk. “I’m glad I did,” she stated after the event was over. “I felt like it was a lot more special than just being up on the quad.”
Joined by a group of her friends, Duscher and the rest of the nature hikers were able to listen to and identify bird calls and explore the beauty of the woods while catching glimpses of the partial eclipse through the clouds. As totality hit and the woods became darker and colder, the vantage point allowed attendees to see the sunset-like conditions spanning the entire horizon line.
Despite the overcast skies, the glimpse of totality and the subsequent darkness gave the nature walk attendees a moment of pause. Speech was hushed, limited to whispers. Everyone held their breath to see if the clouds would part enough for another look. And then, like the flip of a light switch, totality ended, and the darkness lifted.
Though the return to normalcy was nearly instantaneous, the memory of the event will no doubt linger in the minds of all the nature walk attendees for the rest of their lives.
By Cailen Fienemann
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On Monday, amidst the clouds hovering over Syracuse, Le Moyne college students and faculty gathered for a unique celestial event—the total solar eclipse. Undeterred by the weather forecast, Professor Matt Read extended an invitation to his Organizational Behavior class, which normally meets during this time, to witness the eclipse together outside of Reilly Hall.
Even with the gloomy skies, a handful of students, including Jackson Taunton, seized the opportunity. As the group gathered, they discussed the underwhelming nature of the time leading up to the eclipse.
Clouds intermittently obscured the view, teasing glimpses of the sun before concealing it once more. Despite the disappointment, as daylight waned and temperatures dropped, a sense of camaraderie and anticipation swept through the crowd that had gathered in the quad.
Then, as if responding to the collective hope, the clouds momentarily dispersed, revealing the eclipse in all its totality. The sudden darkness that engulfed the campus was met with cheers and hollers from observers across the campus grounds. What had initially seemed like a lackluster event transformed into an unforgettable moment of shared awe and excitement.
Reflecting on the brief but exciting experience, Professor Read remarked, “Even though we didn’t get to see it for very long, that was still pretty cool.” In the end, despite the cloudy skies and initial disappointment, the experience of the total solar eclipse at Le Moyne College became a testament to the unexpected joy found in shared moments of wonder and discovery.
By Joelle Zarnowski
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Avi Stark, a sophomore student majoring in nursing at Le Moyne College, witnessed the once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse in a way she couldn’t have expected to: With those she loves most.
Stark’s plan for the solar eclipse was last minute – coming up with the idea of what to do just two hours before the eclipse.
She knew she wanted to be around as few people as possible and in an open area. She knew that at Grewen quad, although there were a few events in that area that could have been enjoyable, there were many people that could have been in the way of the best view.
She also wanted to make sure she had specific people around her, including her boyfriend, Joe Ventura, and friends that included Jade Tichko and this reporter. Some may wonder why it was so specific and not a massive group of friends.
Earlier that day, Stark was scrolling through TikTok and saw conspiracy theories about the eclipse. A lot of people on TikTok were saying this was the end of the world, just like they did with Y2K.
When Stark saw this, she knew that if, by some weird chance, the world was going to end, she wanted to go in style with the people she loved the most. When the eclipse happened, she was in awe.
She was thrown off by how fast day turned to night and was taken back when her body felt tired and discombobulated. Stark was upset that there were clouds in the sky; she wished – if it were going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event – that there would be nothing in the way, especially the clouds.
When the eclipse ended, she hoped to see birds, but she was caught off guard when she saw two bats fly over her head.
She knew she couldn’t stay long, so once she was given the opportunity, she left – allowing herself to prepare for her next class, which was starting in an hour.
By Legende McGrath
