WAYNESBORO—Area residents are invited to a solar eclipse viewing party—an opportunity to safely view the upcoming near-total eclipse—on Monday, April 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Waynesboro Area Senior High School stadium.
Organized by The Institute in collaboration with the Waynesboro Area School District and NASA, the event is free and open to the public.
Todd Toth, a space scientist at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will be on hand to guide the experience, along with Institute environmental staff. Toth is a former Waynesboro Area Senior High science teacher.
“On April 8, the shadow of the Moon will sweep across the entire United States from the Texas-Mexico border through the midwest to upstate New York and New England over the course of several hours, bringing totality to many major population centers,” Toth said.
Residents of our area will witness 92% of the Sun being eclipsed by the Moon as it passes between the Earth and Sun. The eclipse watching party is an opportunity to safely view the eclipse, along with taking part in a variety of activities for all ages.
Activities include making a solar viewing mask, color-changing solar bead bracelets, and using a Sunspotter to make a sketch of the eclipse. Participants may choose to gather solar eclipse data—such as temperature, clouds, barometric pressure, relative humidity and more—via the NASA GLOBE Observer App, which will allow this data to be sent to a database for further research and use. (The free app is available at: https://www.globe.gov/globe-data/data-entry/globe-observer)
Toth suggests that eclipse observers download the app ahead of the event. “We will be using the app, which is designed for observers to submit data for further scientific research.”
Free safety eclipse sunglasses available, while supplies last. Bring lawn chairs or blankets if desired.
For more information, email [email protected].
