A total solar eclipse is coming up Monday. Lawrence is not quite in the path of totality, but KU students are planning an observation event for the community.
This will be “the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044,” according to NASA.
Lawrence will have a view of the eclipse, but it will peak at about 90% totality, meaning about 90% of the sun will be covered by the moon.
That peak will occur between 1:50 and 2 p.m. here, according to the Society of Physics Students Chapter in Lawrence.
The SPS will host an event with speakers, solar telescopes and other fun activities, according to their special webpage for this eclipse. They will have eclipse glasses available, as well.
That’s set for noon to 3:30 p.m. Monday, April 8 at the marching band’s practice tarmac on west campus, just southwest of the Dole Institute and west of the Lied Center. People can park next to the field for free, or in the Lied Center lot with a yellow parking permit, according to the website. (Click here for a map.)
If the weather does not permit a view of the eclipse, the event will be moved inside the Burge Union forums, 1565 Irving Hill Road.
“We will continue the planned activities and show a live stream of the eclipse from NASA,” according to the website. See lawrencekansassolareclipse2024.github.io for updates.
If you watch the eclipse, eye protection is important. The sun can cause permanent vision damage, even during an eclipse.
NASA has seen some fake eclipse glasses on the market, a NASA spokesperson said during a media briefing. A good test of your eclipse glasses is if you turn on a cellphone flashlight and hold it up, “you should only see a tiny point of light and absolutely nothing else,” she said.
Learn about more local astronomy events with the Astronomy Associates of Lawrence at astronaal.ku.edu/events. (AAL members are not hosting their own viewing event for this eclipse because many of them are traveling to points along the line of totality.)
Learn more about eclipses in general on NASA’s website, and see more safety and viewing tips at this link.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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