NASA photo A partial solar eclipse that occurred in June 2021 is seen above the United State Capitol in Washington D.C. Warren County will be in the path of a total solar eclipse set to occur in April.

An out-of-this-world event could bring thousands of people to northwestern Pennsylvania in April.

A total solar eclipse will take place over a narrow sliver of North America.

Warren County is on that path.

“The Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada,” NASA details. “The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean.

While this is all weather permitting, the first area of totality is projected to be Mexico’s Pacific Coast at 11:07 a.m. Pacific Time.

NASA forecasts in Erie show that a partial eclipse will start at 2:02 p.m. with totality beginning at 3:16 p.m.

Totality will last just four minutes.

From there, the partial eclipse will end at 4:30 p.m.

Forecasts for Buffalo are two minutes behind that for Erie.

“These areas will also experience a partial eclipse before and after these times,” the agency says.

NASA says that the next total solar eclipse that can be seen in the contiguous U.S. will occur in Aug. 2044.

“We can’t normally see the corona — the Sun’s outer atmosphere — because the Sun’s surface below it is so much brighter,” they say. “But during a total solar eclipse, the corona becomes visible, offering unique opportunities to study it.

“When a solar eclipse reaches totality, nocturnal wildlife sometimes wakes up, thinking that it’s nighttime, and non-nocturnal wildlife might think it’s time to head to sleep.”

Students in the Warren County School District won’t be in school the day of the eclipse.

District officials acknowledged back in May that this wouldn’t be an event they’d typically be discussing at the school board. However, because the time of totality comes when some students would be walking home or riding a bus, district officials decided to give students the day off.

“There are dangers to watching the eclipse,” Superintendent Amy Stewart said at that meeting. “We don’t want kids to be walking home… or being on the bus… and not being supervised at that time.”

“Watching a solar eclipse is a memorable experience, but looking directly at the sun can seriously damage your eyes,” according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “Staring at the sun for even a short time without wearing the right eye protection can damage your retina permanently. It can even cause blindness, called solar retinopathy.”

“We don’t want anyone to ruin their eyes because of the eclipse,” Stewart said.

Eye safety will be important for those looking to view the eclipse.

The American Astronomical Society lists some trusted vendors for eclipse glasses, citing “unscrupulous” internet sellers moving “counterfeit” glasses that don’t meet international standards.