Eclipse viewing event

Although Rock Island is not directly in the path of the moon's shadow, we will be able to see the moon cover almost 92 percent of the sun during the solar eclipse at about 1:14 p.m.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy will have two telescopes with solar filters set up on the Quad in front of Hanson and Olin halls from roughly 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

We will have a few pairs of eclipse glasses to share as well - feel free to stop by and participate in what is probably the oldest human-observed astronomical event! Feel free to step outside and experience the eclipse on your own as well. Here are some tips:

How to observe the eclipse

Never look at the sun — even mostly eclipsed — with a telescope or binoculars, unless they have a solar filter designed specifically for that purpose. It will damage your eyes before you have time to look away.

Wear filtered eclipse glasses. If you have some but you're not sure if they're "safe" — they should be dark enough so that you can't see anything through them other than the sun. If the sun still hurts to look at, look away.

You can use welding goggles if they have a shade level of 12 or higher. Or make a pinhole viewer

How to enjoy the eclipse

Even if you don't have a way to directly view the eclipse, you can still watch the way it affects the world around you as the moon's giant shadow passes by, which is in my opinion the best part. There will be plenty of pictures and video of the total eclipse that show much greater detail than we can achieve here at Augie, but that can't give you the experience of the world around you sinking suddenly into dusk and animals falling silent. Even if clouds block our view of the eclipse itself (not uncommon here in the Midwest), you can still enjoy this phenomenon. So, don't feel bad if you didn't plan a trip or don't want to brave traffic to get to totality — you'll still get a great show!

Dr. William Peterson, assistant professor
Physics Lab Coordinator
121B Hanson Hall of Science
309-794-3425