July 18, 2017

On Friday, July 28 at 7pm the Delta College Planetarium will host a special presentation called “The Great American Solar Eclipse.” Delta College Associate Professor of Physics Kevin Dehne will provide a visual presentation in the Planetarium’s Dome360 Theater to give audiences a preview of the total solar eclipse that will be crossing the country later this summer.

On August 21, millions of people across the United States will see one of nature's most wondrous spectacles — a total eclipse of the Sun. Moving along a narrow strip from Oregon to South Carolina, the Moon will completely block the Sun and cast a shadow so viewers can experience the twilight-like atmosphere of a solar eclipse. Only during the 2-1/2 minutes of Totality can viewers directly see the Sun’s pearly white outer layer called the Corona. It will have been 38 years since the last total solar eclipse took place in North America, but the last time the path of totality crossed the nation from coast to coast was in 1918. Viewers in Michigan will see a partial eclipse, with approximately 80% of the sun’s disk covered by the moon.

In this program, Dehne will highlight what a solar eclipse is and how to get the most out of the experience, including where to see totality and how to view the sun safely. The planetarium will have certified eclipse viewers available for purchase at the event, which are required for looking at the partial phases of the eclipse visible from Michigan.

Weather permitting, planetarium staff will hold solar viewing with specially filtered telescopes on the rooftop observation deck from 6 – 7pm. 

Tickets for the planetarium show are specially priced at $3 per seat. The rooftop observing is free. All ages are welcome. The Delta College Planetarium is located in downtown Bay City at 100 Center Avenue.  For more information, visit the Planetarium online or call 989-667-2260.