Tuesday, February 27, 2024, from 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
This is part of the STEM for Everyone series. These lectures are designed for a general undergraduate audience and are open to the public. Refreshments will be provided, and there will be a small reception at the end of the talk.
 

On April 8th there will be a total eclipse of the Sun visible from the United States, the last one until 2045. If you were fortunate enough to see the last US total solar eclipse in August 2017, the April 8th eclipse will appear markedly different at totality because the Sun is in a period of much greater activity. In addition, this eclipse will last longer, and will cover a wider path, as well as covering a more populated swath of the US. The path of totality extends from Mexico, through Texas, up the Mississippi Valley, across the Great Lakes, and then along the Canadian border with New England.

While 85% of the Sun will be eclipsed here in Charlottesville, a reasonably short drive to Ohio, Pennsylvania, or New York will take you to the path of totality, and the difference between a total solar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse is the difference between night and day. You can find much more information about this eclipse on the Great American Eclipse website: https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024 and you can find precise details for the eclipse for any location using Xavier Jubier's interactive Google eclipse maps: http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2024_GoogleMapFull.html

To help you prepare for the eclipse, Prof. Edward Murphy from the Department of Astronomy will give a lecture and demonstrate safe solar observing in Room 330 of Alderman Library on Tuesday, February 27th, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. During the program, we will discuss what to expect during the eclipse, where to go see the eclipse if you can travel to it, and how to safely observe the eclipse.

Room 330 is located at the Northeast corner of Alderman Library, on the Third floor, directly above the Alderman Cafe (Saxby's). Here is a map showing the room location on the Third floor: https://cal.lib.virginia.edu/map/459. Additional directions to Alderman Library can be found here: https://www.library.virginia.edu/maps#alderman

Support for the STEM for Everyone series has been provided by the Charles L. Brown Endowment.