Yesterday, spectators gathered all around the city (and much of the country) to view the much anticipated solar eclipse. We headed to Pier 62 at Chelsea Piers at 1 PM to view the solar eclipse on the Hudson River, by boat with Classic Harbor Line’s eclipse tour. A solar eclipse occurs when the sun is covered by the moon and New York City was privileged to view a seventy-one percent coverage.
There is often a misconception when people hear a percentage equated to an eclipse, that the percentage is referring to the amount of darkness that will occur. The percentage is actually an indication of how much of the sun will be covered by the moon and since the sun spans over four hundred thousand miles long unless the eclipse reaches totality (full coverage), the sky will only dim a small amount without reaching full darkness.
Meanwhile, Untapped Cities contributor and urban archeologist Alyssa Loorya captured this series of photographs while in Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn:
Photographs by Alyssa Loorya/Chrysalis Archaeological Consultants
Here are the spectacular views of the August 21st, 2017 solar eclipse in New York City via the Classic Harbor Line’s eclipse tour:
Pictures taken with a solar filter mimic the view that onlookers see when they put on their solar glasses to block out the harmful rays of the sun. Outside of totality, the sky itself is not black.
This once-in-a-lifetime experience was hosted by Classic Harbor Line on sailing schooners and motor yachts with an intimate setting and only a handful of participants on each vessel.
The first contact of moon coverage began at 1:23, right before the boats set sail. The eclipse was a slow process that spanned until 4 PM when the moon reached its final contact.
The Manhattan II yacht was the perfect location and atmosphere to view the eclipse. Being on the water allowed for an unobstructed view and a relaxing breeze as the yacht made its journey down the river.
At several points during the excursion, the sun was completely covered by clouds offering a beautiful vantage of the sun that could be viewed without glasses.
The majority of the experience was unobstructed, though, providing hours of beautiful scenes of the eclipse and the surrounding New York City skyline.
From the boat, participants could see the massive crowds of fellow eclipse-goers on other boats and those who were outside of the Statue of Liberty. In contrast, the intimacy of the Manhattan II provided an opportunity to get to know the other eclipse fans on board the ship, like Kathleen Busichio who offered her photographs of the eclipse for our publication.
The combination of light from the sun and the moon’s shadow provided somewhat unpredictable results with a neutral density filter. Sometimes photographs would come out with bright, beautiful purples and pinks that almost looked as if they were placed in the photo through Photoshop. (Neutral density filters only protect the camera from the harmful rays of the sun and cannot be used when looking through the viewfinder).
One of the most entertaining things to do during eclipse photography was finding the sliver of moon that would occasionally show up in photographs taken without the full blackout effect of the solar camera filter. The moon often appeared as a neon blue.
With classic rock hits like “Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse and “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals, the Manhattan II playlist provided a relaxed, thematic backtrack to an already epic experience.
Out of all of the places to view the eclipse, Classic Harbor’s eclipse tour was by far the number one choice for Untapped Cities. Between the magnificent views of the eclipse, the water, and the skyline, and the people, it encompassed all of the components that make New York City an interesting and vibrant place to be.
Next, check out Join Us for the Last Tours and Tasting of Rooftop Reds for the Season, the World’s First Rooftop Vineyard and The Top Ten Secrets of NYC’S Chelsea Piers
Get in touch with the author @LitByLiterature
