University to host eclipse celebration

Eclipse_Flyer

The community is invited to participate in the nationwide celebration of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse at Radford University’s Center for the Sciences.

Several activities for all ages are planned inside and around the campus planetarium, including hands-on activities courtesy of the Children’s Museum of Blacksburg, the Radford City Public Library and the Radford University Physics Department. The Museum of Earth Sciences - also located in the center - will be open.

There will be free eclipse-themed planetarium shows running throughout the day, including a live-stream chat with the Radford University solar team that is following the eclipse to Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville is one of several United States locations that will be in the path of totality for about two minutes. This path, where the moon will completely cover the sun and the sun's tenuous atmosphere - the corona - can be seen, will stretch from Lincoln Beach, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina. United States observers outside this path will still see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk.

Radford viewers can expect to see a partial solar eclipse of about 90 to 92 percent. The eclipse is expected to peak around 2:40 p.m.

Outside the Center for the Sciences, visitors can view the eclipse and look at sunspots and solar flares through a telescope equipped with a special lens to protect viewers’ eyes. Free eclipse glasses will be available, while supplies last.

The Center for the Sciences is located at 801 E. Main St., Radford. Parking for the event is available in Lot E, located across the University Drive bridge. Events are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

Aug 15, 2017
Mary Hardbarger
(540) 831-5150
mhardbarger@radford.edu