You are invited to join us at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center on Monday, April 8, for a viewing of the partial Solar Eclipse (80% totality) that will be seen from Columbus!

We will have our WestRock Observatory’s primary solar telescope trained on the Sun for the duration of the eclipse, with the images transmitted to our big screen within the building, and/or the planetarium. Also, Our astronomer on staff, Dr. Rosa Williams will be in the path of the total solar eclipse in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and (weather permitting) will be sending images from a solar telescope there to broadcast along with the WestRock Observatory coverage.

In addition, for those who would like to see the eclipse more directly, we will have a set of telescopes with professional solar filters set out on our South Lawn, with interns to guide people to viewing the eclipse through them. Eclipse glasses will also be available for sale in our Gift Shop – or bring your own!

The event will begin at 1:30 pm EDT, with the Moon expected to start creeping across the very edge of the Sun’s disk at 1:43 pm. We will be viewing the gradual slipping of the Moon’s shadow over the Sun up through its maximum eclipse, with the Sun about 80% covered, at 3:01 pm. We will continue to watch the Moon’s shadow move across the Sun as it reveals more of the solar disk, up through the event ends at 4 pm.