The solar eclipse is just days away, and though Chicago is not in the path of totality, the region will still have a great view.
“It’s absolutely still worth checking out,” said Andrew Johnston, the VP of Museum Experiences and Collections at Adler Planetarium. “Here in Chicago, the sun will be covered about 94 percent by the moon. That’s something you’ll need a solar viewer to see, but if you have one of those viewers, a safe filter, or projector, telescope, it will look like a crescent.”
Adler is one of the many places hosting a public watch party on Monday. The event takes place from 12:30 to 3:30 and is free. It even includes solar glasses, so people can safely look up at the sky.
“We’ll just be hanging out outside with some telescopes, projectors, looking up at the sky,” Johnston said. “It’s a casual way with connecting with the universe.”
In the northwest suburbs, the East Dundee Library will put on something similar.
“We’ll be out on the lawn watching the eclipse, we’ll have eclipse glasses for everyone,” Amy Dodson, the executive director of Fox River Valley Public Library District said. “We are also going to livestream the NASA broadcast indoors and that will be in English and Spanish.”
Amy Dodson recently curated a book collection for library guests wanting to learn more about the eclipse.
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She said it’s important the library does its part to offer an educational experience for all ages.
“A lot of people have been asking about it, we’ve gotten a lot of calls about eclipse glasses, and we’re hearing a lot of interest from people in our district,” she said.
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Make sure you have your solar glasses handy and step outside around 2 p.m. Monday. That’s when we’ll be able to see the maximum eclipse in the Chicago area.
