UPDATE: The party is moving to Atwood Memorial Center. The rain and clouds decided not to cooperate, but we are working to get the live feed from NASA of the eclipse on the monitor in Atwood Memorial Center. Blizzard is coming. We’ll be serving “moon rocks” (donut holes with cinnamon and sugar). KVSC will be rockin’ an eclipse themed playlist. And we’ll be giving away commemorative solar eclipse viewing glasses so you can be prepared for 2099!
For a few minutes Aug. 21, the St. Cloud State community will join Americans coast-to-coast in experiencing a solar eclipse.
The path of totality enters the United States near Lincoln City, Oregon at 10:16 a.m. PDT and exits at Charleston, South Carolina at 2:43 EDT.
It will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the U.S. since 1979 and the first to sweep the entire nation in 99 years.
Eclipse watching on campus
St. Cloud State is hosting an “Solar Eclipse: Fun without the Sun” viewing party 12:30-1:30 p.m. on Atwood Mall.
The viewing party is also a school spirit event. Wear your St. Cloud State apparel — black is best — for the 1 p.m. photo event.
On eclipse day, Husky Bookstore in Centennial Hall will offer an in-store, 10-percent St. Cloud State apparel discount.
- People in attendance can grab free St. Cloud State eclipse glasses
- KVSC 88.1 FM has curated a suntastic set list for your listening pleasure
- Sample some Chartwells donut holes
About 2,000 glasses will be distributed to students and employees attending the viewing party.
Assuming clear weather, students and employees wearing free St. Cloud State eclipse glasses will look skyward and see an 80-percent eclipse at 1:06 p.m. CDT.
Careful observers will see the onset of the eclipse about 11:43 a.m. CDT. Thinking of the Sun as a clock face, look for the eclipse to begin at about 2 o’clock.
By 2:29 p.m. CDT the last bit of Moon shadow will disappear from the Sun’s face.
The sky will not darken at St. Cloud State, so eclipse glasses are the only way to safely view this rare celestial phenomenon.
Eye safety
It is never safe to look at a partial solar eclipse with naked eyes. Even when 99 percent of the Sun’s surface is obscured during the partial phases of a solar eclipse, the remaining crescent Sun is still intense enough to cause permanent retinal damage, especially when viewed through binoculars or other optical aids. Learn more.
Resources
- NASA’s interactive eclipse simulator
- NASA’s Flickr gallery of images
- St. Cloud State gallery of images
Information for this story was gathered from the NASA’s eclipse website.
