Where will you watch the April 8 eclipse? Here are some suggestions in Centre County
The countdown is on until Monday’s highly anticipated solar eclipse and there are a few events planned in Centre County for people to enjoy the rare celestial event.
Although some parts of Pennsylvania will be in the path of totality — meaning the moon will fully block the sun — State College is a bit outside of the path. Still, the area will see about 95% coverage on Monday afternoon barring any cloud coverage or bad weather.
The last eclipse in the continental United States was in 2017 but the next one won’t be until 2040 and its path won’t go through Pennsylvania, Randy McEntaffer, the department head of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State, said.
“The rarity and the scarcity of it are really the big things that people have to consider. Of course, If you are able to travel around the world, there’s opportunities to see a solar eclipse … more frequently,” McEntaffer said. “But having this so close to home, it’s truly a rarity especially at 95% at State College.”
With 95% coverage, it will be noticeably darker during the peak on Monday, he said, but that remaining 5% is still bright. So, State College won’t get the same phenomena as somewhere in the path of totality will, like Erie.
“We will be able to view the moon going across the sun for about two and a half hours. So from about 2 p.m. all the way until 4:30 we will see the visible chunk of the sun being blocked by the moon, which is pretty cool in and of itself,” McEntaffer said.
The partial eclipse in State College will begin to be seen at 2:04 p.m., reach its maximum eclipse at 3:20 p.m., and end at 4:32 p.m.
While there are some formal gathering spaces in Centre County to watch the eclipse like SolarFest at Medlar Field, there are plenty of open spaces to watch on your own.
McEntaffer said anywhere that has open space has potential to be a good viewing area.
“Since it’s in the afternoon with a peak around 3:15, the sun will already be going toward setting, not at the horizon, but going toward setting. So it’s not the highest in the sky at that time, and so … having a lot of open area, not a lot of trees blocking your way is definitely a must,” McEntaffer said.
There are plenty of open spots on campus that have good viewing of the sky, he said, like the Old Main or HUB lawns on Penn State’s campus. He expects a lot of college students to be there during the eclipse. Open parking lots and playgrounds could be another possible spot to watch.
For those feeling more adventurous, climbing Mount Nittany to watch the eclipse would offer a different view, McEntaffer said.
“It wouldn’t necessarily be any better but it is a heck of a view, especially when you’re on that western side of Mount Nittany, up top. It will provide a pretty nice view from there,” he said. “You’re not getting any closer to the sun or anything like that. So, it’s not really changing that phenomenon, but there (are) some good outlooks there that would provide good viewing, as long as you’re only with a handful of people.”
Below are organized viewing parties in and around Centre County.
SolarFest
Penn State’s Eberly College of Science is partnering with the State College Spikes to host public eclipse viewing and science activities, called SolarFest, at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, 701 Porter Road, State College, Monday.
Science experts will have STEM activities, including a rocket launch. Those attending SolarFest will receive a free pair of eclipse safety glasses to safely view the movement of the moon into the sun’s path.
Concessions and gates open at noon and the park will close at 4:40 p.m. after the eclipse is finished. Admission for the event is free; parking is $1/hour in the Stadium West, Jordan East and Porter North lots.
Penn State, Spikes team up to host eclipse viewing party. What to know about SolarFest
Black Moshannon State Park
Black Moshannon State Park, at 4216 Beaver Road, Philipsburg, is inviting people to watch the eclipse, where they’ll have a solar telescope and a sun spotter available for viewing.
Between 1:30 and 2 p.m. the park will have a station to make pinhole viewers for use during the eclipse. The meeting spot is at the beach.
The program will be canceled if there is complete cloud coverage or if it’s raining.
Penn State Arboretum
The Penn State Arboretum, at East Park Avenue and Bigler Road, University Park, is encouraging people to walk through the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens to find fun shadows and explore the size of the solar system on the event lawn, according to its calendar event. Solar viewers and eclipse glasses will be available. The Arboretum, where people gathered by the hundreds during the 2017 eclipse, is asking people to consider donating to help cover the cost of the eclipse viewers.
Juniper Village at Brookline
Juniper Village residents are inviting community members to a “Solar Eclipse Extravaganza” held on the front lawn of the senior living community at 1930 Cliffside Drive, State College. Visitors are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair, and themed food and drink, solar viewing glasses and more will be provided.
Livestream
For those who don’t want to or aren’t able to get outside during the eclipse, some Penn State students from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications will have a livestream of it.
One student team will be in Erie, which is in the path of totality, and another will be at SolarFest in State College.
The livestream for the coverage will be on the Bellisario College Student Media page on YouTube, www.youtube.com/c/BellisarioCollegeStudentMedia.
