History is here — and it’s not Caitlin Clark this time.
The University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy and UI Sciences Library will host a partial solar eclipse viewing on the Pentacrest from 12:30-3 p.m.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon moves in front of the sun, partially or totally covering it. The eclipse on Monday will experience 89 percent totality between 12:46 p.m. and 3:16 p.m.
Maximum totality, the moment when the sun is most covered by the moon, will occur at around 2 p.m., according to the event’s website. This kind of event will not occur again in the U.S. for another 20 years.
The UI will provide eclipse glasses and have solar telescopes available for attendees to look through. The Department of Physics and Astronomy Machine Shop has also constructed an accessible tripod telescope for wheelchair users.
Caroline Roberts, coordinator of the astronomy labs and manager of Van Allen Observatory, hopes that the opportunity for Iowa City residents to observe the rare eclipse will spark their interest in astronomy.
“We’re very excited about the eclipse because it allows people to see this incredible phenomenon easily and get excited about astronomy,” Roberts stated on the event’s website.
A similar event was held in 2017, which was the last time Iowa City experienced a partial eclipse, and hosted by the same departments. This event was also held on the Pentacrest and the sciences library courtyard.