Come one, come all as families are invited to visit your South Branch Library on Saturday, October 14 as we host a Sun Celebration & Eclipse Viewing for local youth. On that day, we will experience an annular eclipse, one of four eclipse types in which the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun, obscuring the view of the brightest star out there.
During an annular eclipse, the size of the moon is smaller than that of the sun, so when they align together with the Earth, the sun will appear as a bright ring, or annulus, surrounding the dark disk of the moon. Much like with any eclipse, you must use special viewing goggles to see it without damaging your eyes. Thanks to the Solar Eclipses Activities for Libraries Community, your library has received 2,000 pairs of solar eclipse glasses, and we will make them available at all three library locations for anyone in the community to snag while supplies last on the day of the eclipse.
Then on Saturday, October 14 at noon, you can use them to look up into the sky and safely view the annular eclipse. The eclipse will begin in Oregon at 9:13AM PDT and end in Texas at 12:03PM CDT.
However, local youth are invited out to your South Branch Library this morning to engage in fun activities up until the eclipse. This will include STEAM activity making foil moons that will start at 10:00AM when the library opens, and of course picking up your eclipse viewing glasses. At 11:00AM there will be an Out of this World Storytime, creating a holder craft for your glasses at 11:30AM, then at 11:45AM (weather permitting) we’ll head outdoors with our viewing glasses to watch the annular eclipse.
For more information about this special event, contact South Branch Manager Alyssa Crow, or youth services assistant Rachel Jones, at 325-698-7565.