A-State invites students to ‘Howl at the Sun’ for Solar Eclipse

In about a month, a total solar eclipse will leave Jonesboro and surrounding areas in total darkness for about two and a half minutes.

As a way to provide a resource for both fun and learning, Arkansas State University will host “Howl at the Sun” on Monday, April 8, from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

"We have reached out to schools east of us and to the Delta and invited them over to not only see the campus and learn more about A-State, but to enjoy the shared celebration of something that does not come around very often," said Shea Harris, outreach coordinator of the Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI).

The event will coincide with a total solar eclipse that will transect Arkansas. Jonesboro is on the lateral edge of the eclipse and will reach totality just before 2 p.m.

“We are having an event for kindergarten through 12th graders, targeting those who are in the seventh grade and up,” said Harris.

There will be several activities available on campus that area students can participate in.

“There are multiple departments offering handson activities with a STEMscience

theme and a spacescience focus,” he added.

Hands-on activities available will include viewing stations, distribution of solar protective glasses, and a tour of the solar system model that students can experience.

“ABI has a free-standing solar system model that runs through the campus that kids can walk through and actually see how vast the solar system is. It is to a one 10-billionth scale so that kids can count the miles between planets,” Harris continued.

In addition to the event aimed at secondary education students, the Student Activities Board will host activities for AState students.