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Upcoming Astronomy Events
As a service to our community, Sky & Telescope lists astronomy-related events, including star parties, observatory public nights, astronomy talks, and more. Star parties offer dark skies and astronomical fellowship and often cater to families and feature special activities for kids. Public nights give the general public a chance to view the sky through large telescopes, and public talks are a great place to learn the fundamentals of the science and the craft.
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"Experiencing Totality - The Great Eclipse of 2024" by Fred Espenak
March 1 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm EST
Free
What is it like to experience a total eclipse of the Sun? We will hear eyewitness accounts of totality from great astronomers of the past as well as recent experiences of the speaker.
On April 8, 2024, a total eclipse of the Sun will be visible from North America for the first time since 2017. The track of the Moon's shadow will cross Mexico, the central and northeastern United States, and eastern Canada. Compared to 2017, the path of totality is 70% wider, and the duration is nearly twice as long (4.5 minutes). With portions of 15 states and 6 Canadian provinces in the path, the 2024 eclipse promises to be the most widely viewed eclipse of all time.
A preview of this highly anticipated event will feature maps and weather prospects along the eclipse path based on the speaker’s recent books on the subject.
About the Speaker:
Fred Espenak is a retired NASA astrophysicist from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where he worked with infrared spectrometers to probe the atmospheres of the planets. He is also known as "Mr. Eclipse" because of his work predicting and observing solar eclipses. He has written over a dozen books on eclipses, including his most recent, Eclipse Bulletin: Total Solar Eclipse of 2024. Espenak also runs three eclipse websites: EclipseWise, MrEclipse, and AstroPixels. Over the past 53 years, he has witnessed over 30 total eclipses of the Sun. In 2003, the International Astronomical Union honored Dr. Espenak by naming asteroid 14120 after him. He now lives in Portal, Arizona.
This program is part of the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society's Eclipse Series.
