Sunrise solar eclipse lights up NYC sky

Viewers on the observation deck on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building were especially lucky to capture an incredible view of the rising eclipsed sun as it passed by the spire of the Chrysler Building.

News 12 Staff

Jun 10, 2021, 9:38 AM

Updated 1,218 days ago

Share:

If you woke up early, you were in for a treat Thursday morning. In the sky was a partial sunrise solar eclipse!
At 5:24 a.m., two “horns” rose across the horizon, giving everyone the first glimpse of New York's first sunrise solar eclipse since 1959.
Viewers on the observation deck on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building were especially lucky to capture an incredible view of the rising eclipsed sun as it passed by the spire of the Chrysler Building.
Jean-Yves Ghazi, the observatory president of the Empire State Building, says the deck normally offers sunrise viewings, but this one was a “once in a lifetime” kind of experience.
“The host of any event at the top of the Empire State Building is incredible, and certainly for this lunar eclipse, or partial eclipse today, being a witness today is absolutely magical,” he says.
The moon covered approximately 73% of the rising sun over the New York metropolitan area.
When the moon fully eclipses the sun, it has a ring, hence the term annular solar eclipse.
The ring occurs because the moon is farthest away from Earth in its normal orbit, so it appears smaller— the opposite of a super moon.
It's when that "micro moon" eclipses the sun, the effect is a called the ring of fire.
Locally, Thursday’s partial solar eclipse peaked at 5:32 a.m., providing a stunning perspective of a crescent sun over the vast New York City skyline.
The next time we will have another event like this one with a similar but greater magnitude will be April 8, 2024 at 2:10 p.m., when 91% of the sun will be eclipsed by the moon over New York City.