CLEVELAND, Miss. — On Saturday October 14, Cleveland will experience a partial solar eclipse. Delta State University’s Wiley Planetarium is hosting Eclipse Fest during the next two weeks, in preparation for the event. Solar physicist and planetarium director Dr. Maria Weber will hold a series of planetarium shows about solar science, eclipses, and how to safely view the eclipse. One pair of eclipses glasses is included with each ticket purchase.
Partial solar eclipses occur when the Moon temporarily covers a portion of the Sun. The partial eclipse begins on October 14 at 10:30 a.m. and ends at 1:30 p.m., with the Moon blocking the most light (a bit more than 60% coverage) at 12:01 p.m.
Weber said, “Solar eclipses are incredibly special and rare events. We are lucky to be in the path of partial eclipses this October and another one in April. In Mississippi, we’ll have to wait until 2045 to catch the next total solar eclipse. As a solar physicist myself, I’m excited to share my love of the Sun, our very own star, with our Delta community through planetarium shows and safe solar observing.”
“Solar Superstorms” narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, will play on Friday, October 6 at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, October 7 at 4:30 p.m., and Thursday, October 12 at 6:30 p.m. The children’s animated film “Beyond the Sun” about the search for planets outside our solar system will play on Saturday, October 7 at 2:00 p.m. If weather permits, solar observing through a solar telescope will be held after each Saturday show. Tickets are $5 for adults, and $3 for Delta State students, staff, and children 12 and under.
Weber and friends of DSU’s Wiley Planetarium will also host a solar eclipse viewing station in downtown Cleveland on Saturday, October 14 from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. during Octoberfest. Weather permitting, a solar telescope and eclipse glasses will be available.
For more information about the Wiley Planetarium, visit their website at https://www.deltastate.edu/planetarium/.
