As long as the weather cooperates on Monday, April 8, it will be hard to miss the biggest light in the sky going 90% dark.
This solar eclipse is something our region hasn’t seen since 1984, when the sun was 95% covered by the moon. Back in 2017, we saw an eclipse that covered 80% of the sun. That year, more than 10,000 people showed up on the Parkway to catch a glimpse of the natural spectacle as part of an event hosted by the Franklin Institute.
This year’s eclipse will be viewable (cloud-cover permitting, of course) starting at 2:08 p.m. through 4:35 p.m. The most coverage will happen at what’s called mid-eclipse time, which will be at 3:23 p.m.
It’s been a very, very long time since Philly has seen a total eclipse. Actually, the city of Philadelphia has technically never seen one. The last time this area experienced a total eclipse, in 1478, there was no city.
While Philly is east of the area that will see a total eclipse with 100% of the sun covered by the moon, Monday’s event will be the best we get for a long time. The next time we can see this leverage of coverage here will be May 2078.
So until then, here’s a look at some of the best spots to see this year’s eclipse.
- WHYY’s Morning Edition host and producer Jennifer Lynn will host a viewing party at Haverford Reverse Grass Field (6309 Parkview Drive, Haverford). We’ll distribute ISO-certified solar viewing glasses. Free, but registration required.
- The Franklin Institute (222 N. 20th Street) will host a community-wide viewing party with large solar filter tents and specially equipped telescopes.
- Fairmount Park offers several good viewing spots including Lemon Hill and George’s Hill near The Mann Center, which is one of the highest points in the city.
- Wagner Free Institute of Science (1700 W Montgomery Ave.) offers activities and multiple viewing opportunities. A limited supply of special eclipse-viewing glasses will be available to use, along with a specially-modified telescope. You can also learn how to make your own pinhole projector or visit Wagner’s historic lecture hall for a livestream of the eclipse from NASA. Free, but donations are suggested, and registration is recommended.
- West Oak Lane Library (2000 E Washington Lane) will provide snacks and eclipse viewing glasses between 3 and 4 p.m.
- SciStarter and the Free Library will host a viewing party at Marconi Park (2800 S Broad St.) You’ll learn how to get involved in simple NASA research projects during the eclipse.
- Temple’s College of Science and Technology will host its solar eclipse Beury Beach party from 2 to 4:30 p.m. with multiple solar viewing telescopes and monitors displaying the sun. Open to Temple alumni, faculty and staff, undergrads and grad students.
- Glen Foerd on the Delaware (5001 Grant Ave.) will discuss the science behind the eclipse and help attendees create homemade eclipse viewers. You can bring your own empty shoeboxes or Pringles cans to turn into viewers. Free, but registration required.
- Join SAGES solar eclipse party outside Redemption Lutheran Church (8001 Bustleton Ave.) for snacks, education information and viewing glasses.
- Paradise Lost: A little different event than the rest, two professors at Rutgers Dept. of English will hold a marathon reading of John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost” to mark the eclipse. All 10,000+ lines of the epic will be read from 9:30 a.m. through about 6 p.m. in front of Murray Hall on the College Avenue campus. Milton’s work is filled with allusions to eclipses as well as imagery of light and darkness.
