Get ready, because the 2024 Great American Eclipse is happening Monday, April 8!
This total solar eclipse will run its way through Mexico, across the continental United States, and make its way across Canada. Southern Illinois is amongst the best places to witness this rare wonder of the natural world and Centralia Regional Library District is prepared to give you a front seat to the action.
Our Eclipse Viewing Party will begin in the Library Park at noon, giving you plenty of time to prepare for the partiality (when the shadow of the moon begins to cover the sun) to start at 12:44pm. While you wait for totality (when the moon fully covers the sun) at 2pm, consider doing any of our indoor and outdoor activities:
– Pinhole Viewer Crafts
– Eclipse and Solar System Art
– Shadow Chalk Art
– Spotting Scope Viewing
– Photography Demonstrations and Opportunities
– Coloring Pages and Activity Packs
– Games
– Giant Bubbles
We’ll also be handing out solar viewing glasses until supplies run out, so you don’t damage your eyes or your phone camera. Totality ends at 2:03pm, but we’ll be doing all of this until 4pm, when partiality has ended and you’re waiting for traffic to de-congest. Miss Rita will be conducting Story Time in the Library’s second floor after the totality as well.
In case of an overcast day, we’ll still be doing all of our activities, but will also be livestreaming the eclipse in our 2nd floor Monken Activity Room (accessible by elevator and stairs). Regardless of weather, we will be having an astronomer narrate the eclipse onsite.
Prepare for this fantastic event by coming to our final eclipse educational workshop the Friday before.
This event is part of the Illinois Solar Eclipse Experience brought to you by the Centralia Regional Library District, the Greater Centralia Chamber of Commerce, Greenville Public Library, Greenville Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and Sidrat Research. Check out more of the activities happening that weekend and the day of at https://www.illinoissee.org.
Updated 4/5/2024
