Press ReleaseCelebrate the Solar Eclipse with ICPL


All of North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun on Monday, August 21.

Anyone within the path of totality, which stretches from will stretch from Lincoln Beach, Ore. to Charleston, S.C., will see a total solar eclipse. Observers outside this path, including those in Iowa City, will still see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk.

The Iowa City Public Library will celebrate with several programs for children and adults.

Sunday Fun Day: Solar Eclipse Catchers, 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, August 6, in the Storytime Room

Families with children of all ages are invited to make Solar Eclipse Catchers at this drop-in program.

Sunday Fun Day: Rose Windows, 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, August 13, in the Storytime Room

Stop by to make a Rose Window to hang in your window at home. All supplies will be provided.

The Great Eclipse of 2017, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, August 14, in Meeting Room A

Did you know a five-hour drive will place you in the path of a total solar eclipse? Brent Studer, Adjunct Professor of Astronomy at Kirkwood Community College, will explain the circumstances under which eclipses occur and what you can do to be ready for the first total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States since 1979.

Sunday Fun Day: Sun Whirligigs, 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, August 20, in the Storytime Room

A whirligig, sometimes called at thuamaotrope, is a classic optical illusion toy consisting of a card with two different pictures on each side; when spun rapidly the pictures appear to combine, just like the sun and moon during the solar eclipse. Come and make your own; all supplies provided.

Solar-bration of the Solar Eclipse, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Monday, August 21, in Meeting Room A

Children and tweens will meet in Room A, and then go outside for make a viewing of the partial eclipse. We’ll also learn more about this this awe-inspiring sight.

Even a partial eclipse is dangerous to look at without something protect your eyes. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation partnered with the Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning and StarNet to provide a limited number of solar eclipse glasses to the Library as part of their mission is to provide low-cost resources to allow Americans to engage in science.

The glasses will be distributed during Sunday Fun Day programs and ICPL’s Solar-bration, while supplies last.

For more information, contact the Library at 319-356-5200.