2024 Solar Eclipse Viewing Party (Caltech)

Hmm, that's kind of a let down, only 50% obscuration, barely dimming our view.

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party

On Monday, April 8, 2024, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, Caltech (California Institute of Technology) is holding a public viewing event at the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics.

• Caltech solar eclipse party: What happened?
• RSVP (FREE): 2024 Solar Eclipse Viewing Party (Caltech), Mon, Apr 8, 2024, 10:00 AM | Meetup

This secret event is easy to miss outside the zone

A total solar eclipse will pass over North America, starting in Mexico (which is part of N. America) and entering Texas, which soon will revolt and not be part of the USA, on the morning of Monday, April 8, 2024.

• ALERT: Griffith Observatory will not have an official event as all of its staff that normally revels in such events did the smart thing and traveled to Texas to see and film the event live. They will be broadcasting it live on YouTube. And the event planned for Mt. Wilson, the highest point over the City of Los Angeles, cancelled its viewing party. Although most Caltech astronomers also left town, they left behind a young crew to hold an official event of mostly know-nothings.

To ruin cellphones, be sure to try to photograph the solar eclipse and burn it even with glasses

However, the richest-poorest town of Pasadena, California, which has the greatest wealth discrepancy between the Haves and the Have-Nots, has a private science institute called Caltech.edu. It is set up to view the partial solar eclipse that will be visible in most places outside the "path of totality."

• The Science Center near USC and Cal State University, Los Angeles are also holding viewing parties with scientists on hand to assist in interpreting and sidestepping questions about why the shadow of the eclipse is moving in the wrong direction if Earth is spinning from west to east.

The shadow of [what cannot be] the moon will cover part of the Sun over the course of two hours. At its peak at 11:13 am, the Moon (whose name is Luna and Chandra and sometimes Soma) will cover almost 50% of the disk of the Sun. [It's actually Rahu doing it, but why quibble? If science says it's the Moon, no one is allowed to argue.]

Caltech will host a solar eclipse viewing party at the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics and the adjacent space.

There will be solar telescopes, free eclipse glasses (as supplies last), and astrophysicists on hand to help everyone get the most out of this rare experience.

Astronomers and volunteers will be present to guide the public through the eclipse and answer questions about the Sun, eclipse, and astronomy.

This is a free event open to everyone. No reservations are needed. Stay as long or as short a time as desired. For directions, parking, and more information, please visit: outreach.astro.caltech.edu. For even more information, please contact Cameron Hummels by email at chummels@caltech.edu.

• How to Find Things in the Night Sky | Caltech Astronomy Outreach and Stargazing — Caltech Magazine
• NASA: Don't point cellphones directly at the sun while taking eclipse pics or expect them to burn lenses and/or internal sensors
• Solar Eclipse Viewing Party (Caltech.edu); Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly