Augustana’s John Deere Planetarium to host solar eclipse viewing

Augustana College’s John Deere Planetarium and Fryxell Geology Museum invite the public to view the partial eclipse of the sun from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 14.

The planetarium, located at 820 38th St., Rock Island, will offer indoor and outdoor programs in the planetarium, observatory and geology museum. Admission is free.

The event will feature safe telescope and naked-eye views of the partial eclipse of the sun.
During the event, about half of the sun will be covered by the moon. Also on display will be a
quarter-ton piece of the Canyon Diablo meteorite and a planetarium show with images and
information on the wonders of the night sky.

The Fryxell Geology Museum, which features one of the best collections of minerals and fossils in the Midwest, will be open. Highlights in the museum include a wall of glowing,
fluorescent rocks; casts of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull; and a complete 22-foot-long skeleton
of Cryolophosaurus, a large-crested carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Antarctica.

The observing areas are unheated so dress appropriate to the weather. In the event of cloudy
sky conditions, telescope views may not be possible, but the indoor programs will still be offered.