The stars are aligning for an out-of-this-world solar eclipse next week. To celebrate, the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library will host an extravaganza on Saturday, April 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The free public event will be hosted by the University of Mississippi Center for Mathematics and Science Education. The CMSE mobile planetarium and space telescope will offer views of the eclipse and information. CMSE staff and volunteers will lead graphic activities and crafts for all ages.
Though the eclipse itself will take place on Monday, April 8, beginning at 12:30 p.m. and peaking at 1:50 p.m., the solar eclipse extravaganza is meant to prepare community members for the event that many will not be able to experience during work or school hours.
“We want to get people informed, get people glasses, get them prepared, even though the eclipse is not until Monday,” Christian Clark, graduate research fellow at the CMSE, said. The inflatable planetarium is likely to draw the most attention at Saturday’s event.
“Attendees will receive Oxford-specific eclipse information and eclipse viewing glasses,” Clark said. “We’ll have the CMSE mobile planetarium where people can experience the eclipse as they would see it from Oxford and as they would see it from space. In the planetarium, I can change the location and the time, and that’ll be really fun.”
Mobile planetarium shows will last approximately 15 minutes. Approximately 20 people will be able to view each show. To guarantee a spot in the planetarium experience, attendees should arrive early to secure a ticket at the library specifying their assigned viewing time.
Clark said the CMSE will also distribute ultraviolet reactive beads and pipe cleaners to make a bracelet at the event.
“The beads change colors under UV light,” Clark said. “Basically, the idea is that the beads will be white inside and turn colors outside, but during the eclipse, the beads will start to fade because there is less UV light.”
CMSE staff will lead a graphing activity to demonstrate how eclipse days differ from average days.
“We will graph light intensity and UV intensity. It is really neat to watch the intensities fall throughout the day as the eclipse is happening and watch them rise after it is over,” Clark said.
Meridith Wulff, head librarian of the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library, said crafts will be offered at the event for families to take home. Children can use the chalk and black cardstock included in the craft kit to draw their own solar eclipse.
“The take-and-make activities are meant to continue the learning at home,” Wulff said. “We want the kids to take what they learned and keep applying it.”
The solar eclipse extravaganza is designed for families to come and go at their convenience. Attendees should park across the street from the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library at the Oxford Skate Park parking lot.
