Eclipse Mania

In case you hadn't heard, the United States will be treated to a front row viewing of a Total Solar Eclipse on Monday, August 21. Here in Dubuque, we'll be a bit too far north to see the full eclipse, but the show should still be impressive (weather permitting). The eclipse will begin around 11:48 a.m., reach its peak around 1:13 p.m., and end by 2:37 p.m.

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to the eclipse is that you should NEVER look directly at the sun as this can cause irreparable damage to your eyes. Unfortunately, the library does not have any eclipse glasses available, and while many local retailers had pairs for sale, it sounds like many locations are currently sold out. If you've already purchased a pair of eclipse glasses, you can make sure that they are reputable and learn more about eclipse viewing safety from NASA: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety

If  you happen to have an empty cereal box, you can bring it into the Maker Space here at Carnegie-Stout and staff will show you how to create your own pinhole viewer for the eclipse. You can also watch a live stream of the eclipse in the Maker Space starting at noon on Monday, August 21.

We've put together a few links below with more tips and tricks to enjoy the eclipse and to learn more about astronomy.

• Books and DVDs on Astronomy at Carnegie-Stout Public Library

• NASA's list of eclipse apps

• Five Ways to View the Solar Eclipse from Science Friday 

• See how the Solar Eclipse will look from anywhere in the United States