SEAL: Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries

As we get closer to the Annular Eclipse on Oct. 14, more and more librarians are getting ready to distribute the send-home handouts about this eclipse, which are pages 28 and 29 of the booklet that goes with the glasses. (See: http://bit.ly/eclipsesforlibraries ) That same handout in Spanish is on pp. 32 & 33.

Note that before you duplicate that page, you are supposed to fill in the times of the eclipse in your location. You can find that by going to this website and putting in the name of your town: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2023-october-14 Where it says ”eclipse maximum” you may want to put in not just the time, but the % of the Sun’s diameter that will be covered by the Moon, which the website gives you as the eclipse magnitude. So, if they say the magnitude is 0.479, that means just about 48% of the Sun’s diameter will be covered up.

Total Solar Eclipse coming on Monday, April 8, 2024. Michigan will see it at 90% totality! So, if you are giving out glasses in October, remind folks to store them safely and avoid scratching or bending, so they will be reusable in April. Encourage families to share a pair of glasses, as the eclipses last long enough to pass a pair around.

NOTE ABOUT SELLING FREE GLASSES: By the rules established by the Moore Foundation, libraries may not sell the glasses they receive through this project. However, many libraries are likely to find that the local demand for glasses far outstrips their free supply, especially if they get word out via the local media. In that case, libraries can try to order more glasses at bulk rates and then sell them for a reasonable fee (such as $2 or 3 each.) Profits could go to your Friends of the Library or similar group. For your free glasses, we recommend only providing them during eclipse programs, like those described above, to make sure the supply lasts.

This project is funded by generous support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through Grant Agreement 10756 to the Space Science Institute. Additional funding has been provided by NASA Science Mission Directorate through a supplement to the NASA@ My Library program.

Reminder, LM has NASA @ My Library and SEAL kits available to support library programming around Space Science!

This program is supported in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Thank you,

Cathy Lancaster

Youth Services Coordinator

Library of Michigan
702 W. Kalamazoo St.
Lansing, MI 48915
My Pronouns: She/Her/Hers - See www.mypronouns.org to learn more.

LancasterC5@michigan.gov | 517-335-8129 | www.mi.gov/libraryofmichigan
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