Total Solar Eclipse Programming at HCPL
Are you ready for the Total Solar Eclipse? Come to one of HCPL’s eclipse events to learn everything you need to know for April 8, 2024. Attendees at each event will receive 1 free pair of solar glasses, as supplies last.
Programs for Kids:
Nature Club (ages 4+) – 4 pm Wed., Feb. 28 at Corydon – Learn about the science of eclipses and make a solar viewer to take home. Please bring 1 cereal box per child (the library has some extra if you do not have one available.)
Eclipse Crafts (all ages) – 2-4 pm Mon., Mar. 25 at Corydon and 1-7 pm Thurs., Mar. 28 at Elizabeth – Make a variety of eclipse-themed crafts and viewing tools. Please bring 1 cereal box per child if you would like to make a solar viewer.
Pinwheel Festival (all ages) – 11 am-2 pm Sat., Apr. 6 at Bicentennial Park – Stop by the library’s booth to get your face painted and pick up information about the eclipse.
Presentations for Adults and Families: Learn how to safely and successfully view April’s total solar eclipse.
Corydon Presbyterian Church – 6 pm Thurs., Feb. 29
Palmyra United Methodist Church – 6 pm Thurs., Mar. 14
Harrison County Community Foundation – 6 pm Tues., Mar. 19
Can’t make it to one of HCPL’s events? Here are some resources to help teachers and families prepare on their own:
Totality, Minute by Minute – HCPL has prepared this handout to remind you which phenomena to look for at each stage of the eclipse.
Cereal Box Viewer instructions – This viewing method is safer for children than solar glasses, as they will be observing the eclipse with their backs to the Sun, so there is less chance for injury. Highly recommended project for school groups.
NASA Punch Pinhole Projector – This site has in-depth explanations of how pinhole projection works and how to apply it to the eclipse.
Safe Solar Viewer (SSV) instructions – An SSV is an excellent way for a group to safely view and photograph the eclipse at the same time, and even see sunspots. This project can be built for as little as $5 and would work well for school viewing parties.
Path of Totality Map – The Sun’s corona, 360° sunset, and other exciting phenomena will only be visible on the path of totality. Most of Harrison County is only at 99% – and even 1% of the Sun’s disc is enough to drown out the corona. You MUST be at 100% to view the corona. This map shows the timestamps and percent eclipsed for any location.
NASA Exploratorium – If you cannot make it to the path of totality, NASA will be livestreaming the event here.
Useful Apps:
Solar Eclipse Timer by Foxwood Astronomy (free for practice mode, $2 to unlock each eclipse) – This app will time the eclipse for you and give audio prompts to remind you what phenomena to look for at each moment. It will even calculate the best times to take photographs.
Totality by Big Kid Science (free) – Click anywhere on the map to see how long totality will last for that location, and what time each phase will occur.
Stellarium Mobile (free, with optional in-app purchases) – This astronomy app helps you identify stars and other celestial objects. You can set it to the day and time of the eclipse to simulate what you will see. On eclipse day, it can help you identify the stars and planets that appear during totality.
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