Mid-America Science Museum to host solar eclipse watch party
Mid-America Science Museum will host a special watch party for this year’s total solar eclipse on Aug. 21.
This is the first time since 1979 that the United States has experienced a total solar eclipse. A solar eclipse is a celestial event in which the moon passes between the Earth and the sun. The entire event will last about three hours, but the longest period when the moon completely blocks the sun from any given location along the path of totality will be about 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The eclipse will be visible from Hot Springs and will occur at around 1:15 p.m. at 85.6 percent of totality.
“The last solar eclipse to touch American soil was in 1991 when it was only visible from Hawaii. The pathway of this year’s solar eclipse will be roughly similar to the total eclipse experienced in 1918 as it will sweep across the 48 contiguous states,” Doug Herbert, director of education at Mid-America Science Museum, said in a news release.
The museum will offer free admission between noon and 2 p.m. on Aug. 21 and will be offering up fresh grilled hamburgers and hot dogs from the museum snack bar available for purchase while supplies last. Although Hot Springs will not be in direct path of the full eclipse, guests can view the event from the museum’s unique vantage points on the Bob Wheeler Science Skywalk and other locations on the museum campus.
It is important to note that sun-gazers must not look directly into the sun when watching the eclipse. To ensure safety of guests, Mid-America Science Museum will provide complimentary solar eclipse viewing glasses while supplies last. In addition, guests can make pinhole viewers in the Alliance Rubber Company Tinkering Studio to use during the eclipse.
This year’s eclipse provides a unique opportunity to educate guests about astronomy with customized eclipse shows in the Oaklawn Foundation Digital Dome Theater. These shows will be held at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and will be free to visitors at the museum. “This event has been important to science education because it has inspired interest in astronomy, planetary science and our solar system, in particular,” said Herbert.
Visit http://www.midamericamuseum.org or call 501-767-3461 for more information.