Viewing solo, attending an eclipse party or traveling north in pursuit of totality: how locals took in Monday’s historic celestial event

People across Riverhead ventured outdoors Monday afternoon to witness a historic sight: the solar eclipse that captivated millions of Americans from Texas to Maine. 

The partial eclipse visible from Long Island — less than the dramatic totality witnessed by people in other parts of the country— sparked excitement as enthusiastic residents donned special protective glasses to gaze at the rare celestial event.

The special cardboard spectacles became a hot commodity as the day of the eclipse approached.

Riverhead Free Library gave away nearly 1,100 glasses to cardholders, and ran out of them quickly following the library’s announcement that they would be available, Assistant Director Catherine Montezem said. 

While some people grabbed their eclipse glasses and headed to a local beach or a parking lot in search of an unobstructed view of the sun for the mid-afternoon show, others created their own watch parties, attended local gatherings or traveled great distances to see the once-in-a-generation event. 

“My sister said she had an extra pair of glasses, so I came over here to grab them,” said Daniel Menezes of Wading River, who just exited a physician’s office on Route 25A in Wading River. “She works there, he said, gesturing toward the office door. Menezes said he was heading to the town beach in Wading River to have a look.

Scores of other residents flocked to town beaches from Wading River to South Jamesport.

Hallock State Park Preserve in Northville hosted an event with an astronomy professor on hand to answer questions. 

George Lomaga, a retired professor of astronomy and geology at Suffolk County Community College, shared stories about the 10 total solar eclipses he’s personally viewed. The professor and some college students set up a telescope with a special filter to give visitors a close-up view of the eclipse.

Roughly 70 people gathered at the state park to view the eclipse. Cloudy skies made for less than optimal conditions, though.

The last total solar eclipse seen in New York was in 1925, Lomaga said. Eclipses like the one witnessed today, which at their peak coverage last three to four minutes, only occur about 790 times during a 10,000 year period, Lomaga told the crowd at Hallock State Park. 

“Some people don’t realize this is a historic event,” Crosby Palmeri, 12, of Mattituck said with excitement. “Especially because some last like 30 seconds. This one is lasting like four minutes..”

The eclipse began around 2:13 p.m. when a small part of the moon visibly blocked the sun — what Lomaga called the “first bite.” At around 3 p.m., a patch of dark clouds covered the sky, making it difficult to view the eclipse. The eclipse became more visible at its peak around 3:30 p.m., when the air became a little bit colder and the sky a little darker.

“It’s so crazy how this won’t happen for another 20 years or so,” said Monte Lang, 11, of Cutchogue. 

The next total solar eclipse visible in North America will arrive in 2044.

Other local residents hit the road and headed north to view the eclipse in totality. 

Courtney Blasl and Katina Falek of Riverhead traveled to Vermont to view a total eclipse for the first time. [Editor’s note: Blasl is RiverheadLOCAL’s art director.] Blasl shot a video of the event in Shelburne, Vermont as the skies went dark at the time of totality.