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What to Expect from Partial Solar Eclipse

Southern Illinois will have a front row seat for today’s partial solar eclipse.

Cheryl Ernst is with the Astronomical Association of Southern Illinois.   She says 37-percent of the sun will be covered by the moon. Ernst says the eclipse will begin about 4:44 pm and will reach peak viewing around 5:49 pm.   She says you DO NOT want to look directly at the eclipse.  Ernst says the sun will be incredibly bright and could melt the glass lenses of un- shielded telescopes or binoculars as well as potential damage the human eye. 

Ernst says the SIU Physics Department will provide filtered telescopes and solar glasses to safely view the eclipse from the observation deck on top of the Neckers building on the SIUC campus.  The viewing session is free and open to the public.  It runs from 4:30 pm until 7:30 pm.

Kevin Boucher is a retired broadcaster. Most recently he was a news reporter for WSIU radio. He grew up watching nature programs including Mutual of Omaha’s wild kingdom and the many Jacques Cousteau specials which sparked his passion with nature. Kevin also is an avid hiker and loves seeing and writing stories about the many fascinating plants and animals we share our planet with. Kevin is married and has lived in Murphysboro since 1976, after living in many places, including Japan, as the son of a Navy officer.


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