Thompson Park,
Watertown,
Jefferson County,
New York
I was fortunate to experience a full solar eclipse in North Carolina in 2017, and during that time was very inspired and I told myself that I would make sure to be at the next eclipse in upstate New York in 2024. Well, now it was seven years later and the time had come. I travelled with my family upstate, and I chose Watertown as it was in the center of the path of totality with one of the longest timeframes, and also has a park overlooking the city so we can see the city light and view during the totality. We went to Thompson Park which overlooks the city, and there was a large festival there with hundreds of people, music, and street vendors. It was quite a scene. Parking was closed in the park and we parked in the city streets and walked up the hill to the main part of the park.
I had mentioned this point back in 2017, and the same held true now: Seeing the eclipse in totally vs. only partially (even at 99%) doesn't compare, as the effects are much more impressive when its in full totality. When totality was reached, a the crowd cheered loudly throughout. There were clouds that rolled in several minutes after the eclipse started, but once the totality approached we were able to witness the entire event through the thin clouds. In fact I even captured the movement of the move in front of the sun on video!
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| With my Camera & Equipment. Note the Large Crowd at Thompson Park |
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| Approaching Totality - Viewed from my Solar Filter |
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Darkness Coming as Totality Approaches
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| Solar Eclipse Totality |
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| Darkness During Totality |
