Daytime eclipse viewing and nighttime lights-out (weather permitting)

For the solar eclipse on April 8th, astronomy will be hosting events throughout the day.

We will start with eclipse viewing at our Historic Hopkins Observatory, located along Rt 2, from 2pm to 5pm. Within the planetarium we will project a live-stream from the path of totality and on the lawn outside of the observatory, we will have telescopes available for viewing the eclipse (weather permitting), which will reach 96% coverage of the Sun by the Moon at 3:27pm, but will be visible anytime between 2:13 pm and 4:37 pm. A limited number of eclipse glasses will also be available.

Following the eclipse, (weather permitting) we will host a ‘lights-out’ event from 10 to 10:30pm on the science quad in which the outside lights will be temporarily turned off, allowing everyone a view of the night sky that is unaffected by light pollution. After marveling at the eclipse, join us to enjoy the night sky, including through a couple of our telescopes!

Both events are free and open to the public. Parking near the historic observatory is very limited; larger parking lots are on the north side of Rt 2, near Thompson Memorial Chapel, and Sawyer Library. Telescope viewing for both events is weather dependent and we will send a Daily Message on April 8th with an update.

More Information