Eclipse 2024

Numerous City of Buffalo firefighters and police officers received awards from the U.S. Coast Guard for their work in preparing the city for last year’s total solar eclipse. U.S. Coast Guard Captain Mark Kuperman said it’s an award not given out lightly.

Post-eclipse it seems like most people talked about their visual experience on April 8th. However, across the country, many people experienced the eclipse though a sonification, or a conversion of the light of the sun into sound. WBFO Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins visited Buffalo State on eclipse day to hear how they were using a LightSound device to make the eclipse audibly accessible. Watkins speaks with Dr. Jen Connelly, a disabled astronomer and the associate director of Buffalo State’s planetarium about not only how they made this happen, but why they need more resources like this. Meanwhile, WBFO Reporter Alex Simone took the device with him to a park in Erie County to capture a recording.

As the sky darkened there was an extra sparkle for two Buffalo couples during the celestial event.

Approximately 1 million people flocked to New York on Monday for a view of the solar eclipse. Within the state, some Long Islanders and other southern residents took a trip north to view the full effect.

Photos of the solar eclipse and viewers of the eclipse.

Thousands of people congregated at the Plattsburgh City Beach on Monday to watch the moon cross the sun leading to totality.

Hundreds gathered at the Richardson Olmsted Complex to watch the solar eclipse.

The International Institute of Buffalo and the Erie County Department of Health worked together to prepare one-page fact sheets in 10 languages, plus English.

WBFO's Disabilities Beat has been covering how people with disabilities can enjoy the eclipse safely and equitably over the past several months. Below you'll find stories you can read for more advice, listen to for interesting interviews, as well as a compiled list of resources that have been mentioned to us.

Many local organizations have been finding ways to make the eclipse accessible to people with disabilities, and among them is a local volunteer-driven free radio service for people with vision and print disabilties. WBFO's Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins spoke with Michael Benzin from Niagara Frontier Radio Reading Service about how they are using their local radio program to help make the eclipse accessible to people with disabilities.