Eclipse watch parties and educational events abound on Seacoast

Seacoast experts and enthusiasts are gearing up for April 8, when the first total solar eclipse since 1959 will be visible in New Hampshire and Maine. A total solar eclipse will not be visible in this region again until 2079.

The path of totality for the April 8 eclipse will begin in Mexico, crossing 15 U.S. states on a Northeast track, through parts of Canada and end over the Atlantic Ocean. In New Hampshire, a handful of northern communities from Berlin north will fall within the eclipse’s direct path. This will give people there a chance to be cloaked in complete darkness and see 100% totality when the moon entirely blocks the sun for roughly three-and-a-half minutes.

When will eclipse be visible on Seacoast? Search here by zip code

In the Seacoast and Strafford County, the eclipse will be nearly complete, with 94% to 96% of the sun covered by the moon.

On the Seacoast, the eclipse will start at roughly 2:16 p.m., peak at 3:30 p.m. and end a 4:39 p.m.

Informational sessions are slated to take place around the state in the days leading up to the eclipse, with Seacoast area watch parties set for April 8.

Need to learn more about the once in a generation celestial event? Want to witness the eclipse in a group setting? Here are some events coming up to keep in mind.

UNH holding 'Prep with the Pros' eclipse event

The University of New Hampshire’s physics and astronomy department is holding a public event Wednesday night called “The Science of Solar Eclipses - Prep with the Pros” at DeMeritt Hall in Durham from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Experts, including the school observatory’s director, John Gianforte, will educate the public on the upcoming solar eclipse, teach attendees how to craft their own solar projector from just a few household items, and discuss their studies of the sun.

Anyone participating in activities at the event will receive a free pair of eclipse glasses.

The event is free and open to the public. Free parking will be available in the Elliot Alumni Center lot on Edgewood Drive after 5:30 p.m.

Eclipse watch parties April 8: Here's where and when

On April 8, the Portsmouth Public Library is hosting a watch party with eclipse activities and trivia prior to the peak of the eclipse around 3:30 p.m.

“You will have the option of watching the eclipse live from the field beside the library or inside the Levenson Community Room where we will show the NASA live stream on the large screen,” the library’s event description notes.

Two hundred pairs of free eclipse glasses will be available at the event, which lasts from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Registration for the event is not required.

The Dover Public Library is offering a similar watch party to view the partial eclipse outdoors on April 8. The Garrison City is expected to see the moon blocking 95% of the sun during the event.

“Snacks, crafts and music will all be part of the fun, as we view this rare phenomena together. Bring a lawn chair, grab a snack and eclipse glasses, or make a viewfinder, and discover and explore with us,” the library says.

The event at 73 Locust St. will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The lawn in front of the picturesque Thompson Hall clock tower at the University of New Hampshire in Durham is expected to be teeming with students, faculty and staff waiting for the peak of the partial eclipse next Monday.

The school is having its own watch party on the lawn, with certified eclipse glasses designed by a university student available for use during the event. The school’s watch party will also be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

One of the school’s two Wildcat mascots, Wild E. Cat, will pose for photos with guests as the state’s flagship university counts down to the eclipse.

“There won’t be another chance to view a total eclipse like this over North America for decades,” per the university’s event announcement.

Do you know of other eclipse informational sessions and watch parties? Please let us know by emailing Seacoast Media Group at news@seacoastonline.com.

Safety tips during the solar eclipse: Here's what to know

With eclipse watchers turning their eyes to the skies on April 8 to witness celestial history, Dartmouth Health is reminding viewers to keep eye safety a priority during the event.

“It is an exciting and rare event, but observers need to educate themselves about how to protect their eyes,” Michael E. Zegans, MD, section chief of ophthalmology at Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “Prolonged sun gazing can result in permanent retinal injury.”

Recommendations to eclipse watchers from the health system include purchasing eclipse glasses or a solar filter to wear during the event, not using any certified glasses or filter that have scratches or damage, and reading all instructions on related products before using.

“Before looking up at the bright sun, stand still and cover your eyes with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer,” Dartmouth Health adds. “After glancing at the sun, turn away and remove your glasses or viewer — do not remove them while looking at the sun.”

The Planetary Society reports that solar eclipse glasses are made with black polymer lenses that are approximately 100,000 times darker than regular sunglasses, helping to block nearly all visible light, in addition to infrared and ultraviolet light.

The International Organization for Standardization certifies proper eclipse glasses, which are then labeled ISO 12312-2, Dartmouth Health added.

What is a total solar eclipse?

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) defines a total solar eclipse as when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, blocking the majority of the sun's light, leading to the sky darkening and temperatures dropping for a brief period.

Total solar eclipses only happen during new moon phases each month.

How rare are total solar eclipses?

Despite their frequency, the true rarity behind the phenomenon is the location in which they’re visible.

Sixty-five years have passed since New Hampshire was last in the direct path of a total solar eclipse, when a westward eclipse that started around India moved right through Nashua and the southern part of the state.

The state has reported that New Hampshire won’t be in the path of a totality for another solar eclipse until 2079.

“We have a new moon every month but we don’t have an eclipse every month because the orbit of the moon is tilted with respect to its orbit of the Earth,” John Gianforte, director of the University of New Hampshire observatory, told Seacoastonline previously. “Sometimes the shadow of the moon, which is what causes the solar eclipse, passes above or below the Earth and it misses the Earth, or it hits the Earth in a place that you’re not, so you don’t see the eclipse,” Gianforte explained. “Eclipses happen pretty frequently over the surface of the Earth, but they happen rarely in a particular swath of territory that’s in the eclipse’s path.”

What happens during a total solar eclipse?

In all solar eclipses, two shadows are cast by the moon. In the umbral shadow, people located in areas within that immediate zone will be able to see the coming eclipse at totality, or when it’s slated to block the entire sun. The outer view of the eclipse, or those that will see it partially, is caused by being located in the penumbral shadow of the moon.

For comparison, much of northern New Hampshire will fall within the coming moon’s umbral shadow, while the remainder of the state will view the partial eclipse from the penumbral shadow. Berlin, Colebrook, Dixville, Milan, Northumberland and Pittsburg are a few of the municipalities in New Hampshire that will be within the umbral shadow, where total eclipse will be present.

Gianforte said previously that the shadow of the total solar eclipse is about 100 to 150 miles wide. He noted the moon travels between 1,000 mph and about 2,500 mph.

Fifteen states in America fall within the eclipse’s path of totality: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and parts of Tennessee and Michigan.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Eclipse watch parties and educational events abound on the Seacoast