As the Northeast prepares for a total eclipse of the sun on Monday, many are billing it as a must-see, once-in-a-generation event. Hundreds of thousands are expected to travel to places in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine that are in the eclipse’s “path of totality,” where the moon will block the sun entirely for around three minutes.
But for those sticking around western Massachusetts for the eclipse, there are still plenty of opportunities to see the moon block as much as 95% of the sun.
Daniela Calzetti, a UMass Amherst astronomer, said that’s a big deal and an important chance to introduce people to science and the wonders of the cosmos.
“In itself, this is a tiny little … speck of dust in the greatness of the entire cosmos,” Calzetti said. “But — for us — it is a fantastic event.”
Across western Massachusetts, libraries, museums, parks and other organizations are holding eclipse-watching parties Monday afternoon. The events are a chance for people to gather together for the fun and, more importantly, to grab a pair of eclipse glasses. Experts are urging eclipse viewers to use eye protection before looking up at the sun, with some school districts even releasing students earlier in the day and canceling after-school activities as a precautionary measure.
“Except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing,” NASA has said on its website. “Viewing any part of the bright Sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or a telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.”
Calzetti said that sunglasses aren’t enough to avoid eye damage. Only specific eclipse shades will do, she said.
“It's absolutely important that everyone who tries to look at the sun wears the shades, because otherwise there will be damages, possibly permanent damages, to the eyes,” she said. “And we don't want that.”
With that in mind, many local organizations are handing out free eclipse glasses while supplies last as part of their watch parties. That includes libraries across western Massachusetts.
Holyoke Public Library, for example, is handing out free glasses until Saturday, though there is a limit to one pair per person and two per family. Forbes Library in Northampton is having a watch party on its lawn beginning at 2:30 p.m. Monday. Greenfield Public Library will also have a watch party from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Agawam Public Library will host its own afternoon of activities for the event.
Other locations are also holding live-streaming events for those who can’t travel to see the total eclipse. Springfield Public Library locations will hold watch parties with live viewings as well as streams of the full eclipse.
The Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield’s Public Library, will begin handing out eclipse glasses on Friday. The library is also hosting a “Teen Neon Party” from 2:45 p.m. until 5 p.m. for kids aged 12 to 18. The party will feature a live eclipse viewing as well as a livestream in the auditorium. Afterward, there will be a black-light dance party with DJ Chris Plankey, pizza, glow sticks, glow-in-the-dark slime making, board games, video games and more.
In Amherst, where the peak of the eclipse will happen at 3:28 p.m., the University of Massachusetts Amherst will hold two events: at the UMass Amherst Sunwheel and on Metawampe Lawn. University astronomers will speak at both locations, beginning at around 2:15 p.m., and solar shades will be available.
Springfield Museums is also holding a "Great American Solar Eclipse Party" from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The maximum eclipse in the city will occur at 3:27 p.m., covering some 93.8% of the sun's disc. Entry costs $8 for visitors but is free for museum members and Springfield residents.
As part of the event, Springfield Museums will have filtered telescopes, eclipse glasses and pinhole projectors available on its north lawn from 2 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. The organization is also holding a "hear the eclipse" event at the same time for those in the blind and low-vision community. The museums will have a sonification box that " translates the solar eclipse into sound using a sensor to detect changes in light and generate corresponding audio," according to their website.
Springfield Museums isn’t the only location holding an event for those who are blind or have low vision. In Pittsfield, United Cerebral Palsy of Western Massachusetts is welcoming community members to experience the eclipse through sound with an assistive technology called the “LightSound” tool, which allows people to experience the eclipse by sound.
Across the state, the Department of Conservation and Recreation is hosting events at its state parks, reservations and forests. That includes a watch party at Mt. Greylock State Reservation in Lanesborough, which will include alternative viewing methods for the eclipse. Those interested in attending are warned, however, that Summit Road is currently closed.
The Great Falls Discovery Center, which DCR operates, will also host a drop-in program in partnership with Montague Public Libraries from 2:14 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to safely view the eclipse.
The next time a full eclipse will pass close to the region is in 2044.
Disclosure: Springfield Museums is an underwriter of NEPM. The newsroom operates independently.”
