Reading Public Library will join NASA and other organizations in celebrating the “Celestial Event of the Century” – the Aug. 21, solar eclipse. The library will host a solar eclipse party on Monday, Aug. 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. on the DoubleTree parking garage rooftop, 701 Penn Street, Reading.
As a part of the festivities – complimentary solar eclipse glasses will be available for safe viewing for all participants as well as other activities.
This event is open to the public with a $1 donation. Library card holders enter for free. Bring your lunch or buy it from one of the food vendors set up at the flat lot in the 600 block of Penn Street.
RPL has joined more than 1,000 libraries across the country to participate in this rare celestial event. During this national event, the shadow of the moon will sweep across the United States in a narrow band from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean in a spectacle that hasn’t occurred in decades. In fact, the last total solar eclipse for the United States was nearly 40 years ago. The rest of the U.S. and North America, including Reading, PA will see a partial eclipse, with the Moon covering up only part of the Sun. It is aptly named the Great American Eclipse.
Reading Public Library has partnered with the City of Reading, Reading Parking Authority, the Downtown Improvement District, and other organizations in the community to help prepare for this amazing astronomy event. People of all ages and backgrounds will find the solar eclipse to be an experience they will remember the rest of their lives.
The STAR Library Education Network (STAR_Net) and its NASA@ My Library initiative are providing resources and STEM activities to libraries across the nation related to the eclipse. Partners include NASA, the American Library Association, and many other organizations. This project was made possible through support from the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Google, and the National Science Foundation.
