It's coming! The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will happen on April 8, 2024!
What is a total solar eclipse? The moon will cross between the earth and the sun during their obits, causing a shadow on earth and temporarily blocking the view of the sun from earth. The path of this shadow will cross from southwest of Cincinnati, to the northeast. Cincinnati will be in a band of 99% totality... meaning the face of the sun will be 99% covered by the moon to viewers here, but not completely. The band of totality, from which the sun visually will be completely blocked by the moon, will be west and north of Cincinnati. This YouTube video from NASA explains the band of totality and its path.
How is it possible that the sun, which is roughly 400 times larger than the moon, can be blocked from view by the moon? The sun also happens to be roughly 400 times farther away from earth than the moon. This coincidence means that from earth, when all three are lined up correctly, the tiny moon can appear to cover the face of the giant sun!
More information about the eclipse in general and the path of totality can be found here:
https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/april-8-2024
https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/
There are several safe ways to watch a solar eclipse. You can watch directly with certified safe solar viewing glasses. KCPL will have limited numbers of eclipse glasses available for free, to be picked up in person at specific programs at the Erlanger Branch. See our events calendar for more details. Be sure to check the limits and registration requirements for each program. One pair per person in attendance will be available at the children's desks of the Covington and Independence Branches beginning March 25. Supplies are limited. Others will be distributed through library programs directly to students at some of the schools within Kenton County. These glasses have been provided by the Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL) program with funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and The Space Science Institute.
Other safe ways to view include looking through #14 Welder's glass, or watching the shadows of the eclipse on the ground by looking through a colander or even your fingers. This link provides more projection techniques and some good photos of the results.
Certified suppliers of safe viewing equipment can be found here.
Some titles in the library's collection that relate to eclipses include the following:
For Adults:
American Eclipse: A Nation's EPIC RACE to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by David Baron
Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses From Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets by Tyler Nordgren
Totality- The Great American Eclipses of 2017 and 2024: A Complete Guide to the Most Amazing of Celestial Sights by Mark Littmann & Fred Espenak
For Children:
Eclipse by Andy Rash
Eclipses by Nick Hunter
What is a Solar Eclipse? by Dana Meachen Rau
A total solar eclipse is unlike any other experience on earth. In the United States, we won't have this opportunity again until 2044; and in Cincinnati, not until 2099! Make your plans soon to view this rare event. Many Cincinnati area events can be found on this list. Traffic may be crazy, so leave yourself time to enjoy the celestial show!
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