Public invited to Westminster College for solar eclipse viewing events

The Westminster College campus community will celebrate the Great North American Solar Eclipse—a total solar eclipse passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada—on Monday, April 8, and the public is invited to campus for a free public viewing event and a variety of activities and programming for guests of all ages.

Westminster is in the path of 99% totality for the eclipse and the public is invited to join faculty, staff and students on the campus quad to view the eclipse safely. Telescopes and special glasses, which will be provided by the College, will be available from 2 to 4:30 p.m., with the eclipse peaking at 3:15 p.m. This viewing event will be led by the Department of Physics under the direction of Dr. Matteo Luisi, assistant professor of physics.

“The solar eclipse of April 8 is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Luisi, who also serves as the director of the Westminster Planetarium. A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the face of the sun and causing the sky to darken as if it were dawn or dusk. According to Luisi, if viewed from Westminster College, about 99% of the sun will be covered by the moon.

“The next total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States will not happen until 2044, so don’t miss this one,” Luisi said.

Luisi said the community can learn more about total solar eclipses at the Westminster Planetarium showing of “Totality!” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 27 and Friday, April 5.  Audience members will discover how eclipses happen, learn the history of eclipse watchers and be instructed how to safely observe an eclipse. There is no cost to attend the planetarium shows but reservations are necessary as space is limited. To register, please visit www.westminster.edu/planetarium.

Westminster will also welcome guest lecturer Dr. Josh Levy, curator of the science and technology manuscript collections at the Library of Congress, who will discuss “From Pemmican to Palembang: Eclipse Expedition Collections at the Library of Congress” at 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 8, in the Dietz Sullivan Lecture Hall in 101 Hoyt Science Center. There is no fee to attend the public lecture, which is sponsored by Westminster’s Department of History.

Levy will discuss three eclipse expeditions: the 1860 eclipse as seen from northern Saskatchewan, the 1889 eclipse in coastal Angola and the 1926 eclipse in Sumatra.

“Routed through circuits of empire, each expedition was revealing in its own way; not only of the longstanding relationship between science and empire, but of the messy human encounters that help produce scientific knowledge,” Levy said.

Levy holds a Ph.D. in modern U.S. history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a
Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School.

All eclipse-related activities at Westminster are free and open to the public and will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. on April 8 at several campus locations. A complete list of the day’s offerings follows:

•    “Out of this World” Lunch: From 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. in Galbreath Dining Hall. Lunch prices are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-12. Hosted by Sodexo Dining Services.

•    Eclipse Viewing: 2 to 4:30 p.m.—with eclipse peaking at 3:15 p.m.—on the campus quad, hosted by the Department of Physics and the Society of Physics Students.

•    Eclipse Art: Featuring pinhole art and corona chalk impressions from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on the quad sidewalks. Hosted by the Department of Art.

•    “Navajo Knowledge of the Eclipses” Video: 2 to 4:30 p.m. on the quarter hour in the Cultural Center of McKelvey Campus Center. Hosted by the Office of DEI Education.

•    Moon and Stars Cookie Decorating: 2 to 4:30 p.m. in the Cultural Center of McKelvey Campus Center. Hosted by the Center for the Environment.

•    Written Word on Eclipses: 3:30-4 p.m. on the quad featuring eclipse-themed literary works read by students. Hosted by the Department of English.

•    Live Titan Radio Broadcast: 2 to 4:30 p.m. on the quad. Hosted by Titan Radio WWNW 88.9 FM and the School of Communication.

•    Children’s Story and Craft: 3:30-4:30 p.m. on the quad featuring eclipse-themed stories and a coloring station. Hosted by the School of Education.

•    Guest Speaker on Historical Eclipse Expeditions: 4:30 p.m. in Dietz Sullivan Lecture Hall, 101 Hoyt Science Center. Dr. Josh Levy, curator of the science and technology manuscript collections at the Library of Congress, will discuss three eclipse expeditions: the 1860 eclipse as seen from northern Saskatchewan, the 1889 eclipse in coastal Angola and the 1926 eclipse in Sumatra. Hosted by the Department of History.  

Visitors are encouraged to check in at the information table on the quad. In the case of inclement weather, outdoor events will be moved indoors to the Westminster College Planetarium in Hoyt Science Center and the Witherspoon Rooms in the McKelvey Campus Center.

Eclipse-related events are being coordinated by the Office of Professional Development and Community Engagement with support from coordinating programs and the Beyond the Quad Art Series. For questions about this event, please contact Dr. Helen Boylan, professor of environmental science and faculty fellow for community engagement, at boylanhm@westminster.edu or 724-946-6293.

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