Free Public Talk August's Eclipse of the Sun at Santa Clara City Library July 29th (plus book signing)
Astronomer Andrew Fraknoi will give a free, non-technical, family-oriented talk on "The Sky Event of the Decade: August's Eclipse of the Sun" on Saturday, July 29th from 2:00 to 3:30 pm in the Redwood Room at the Central Park Library in Santa Clara. Fraknoi, the author of a new children's book on eclipses, When the Sun Goes Dark, will describe how eclipses work, why they are one of nature's most spectacular sights, exactly when and where the eclipse of 2017 will be visible, and how to observe the eclipse and the Sun safely. At the conclusion of the program, everyone attending will receive a pair of safe viewing glasses for observing the Sun. There will also be a book signing for When the Sun Goes Dark afterwards. The Central Park Library is 2635 Homestead Rd., Santa Clara, CA 95051. For more information, see: http://santaclaraca.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/54109/67 Like the book, the discussion will be appropriate for children 10 years of age or older, and adults. On Monday, August 21, 2017, there will be an eclipse of the Sun visible throughout the U.S. and all of North America. People in a narrow path from Oregon to South Carolina will see a spectacular total eclipse, with the Moon briefly covering the Sun completely, and day turning into night. Everyone else (an estimated 500 million people, including all of us in the Bay Area) will see a partial eclipse, where the Moon covers a good part of the Sun. Special glasses or viewing techniques are needed to look at the Sun safely during a partial eclipse (sunglasses are NOT enough). Andrew Fraknoi is the chair of the astronomy department at Foothill College and the former Executive Director of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. He serves on the 2017 Eclipse Task Force of the American Astronomical Society, training teachers and librarians to act as guides for the public as the August eclipse approaches. Fraknoi appears regularly on local and national radio, explaining astronomical developments in everyday language, and was the California Professor of the Year in 2007. The International Astronomical Union has named Asteroid 4859 Asteroid Fraknoi to honor his contributions to the public understanding of science. Andrew Fraknoi's illustrated book, When the Sun Goes Dark, published by the National Science Teachers Association Press, is a fun way for young astronomers to find out all about this eclipse and future ones. (The next one over the U.S. will be in 2024.) The story suggests some easy activities that children and adults can do together to learn the science behind eclipses of the Sun and Moon. Note to Editors: An image to accompany this release can be found at: https://eclipse.aas.org/sites/eclipse.aas.org/files/TSE2012-Sequence-RickFienberg.jpg This has been released for media use; please credit: Rick Fienberg/Wilderness Travel/Travel Quest International _____________________________________________ Andrew Fraknoi Chair, Astronomy Department Foothill College 12345 El Monte Rd., Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 650-949-7288 E-mail: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Web site: www.foothill.edu/ast<http://www.foothill.edu/ast> AstroProf Facebook Pages: www.facebook.com/Fraknoi<http://www.facebook.com/Fraknoi>
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