Come to the Greenfield Public Library on Monday, April 8, 2024 for an Eclipse Party from 1-5pm (EDT)!

The Happy Valley’s original solar energy experts, PV Squared Solar, are excited to be celebrating 23 years of business by partnering with the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library to share in the celebration of this astrological event with our beloved community with variety of events related to the eclipse and solar power!

• PV Squared Solar will bring their solar-powered trailer and will have info-boards about solar energy, eclipses, and other sun fun! Bring all of your solar-energy questions!
• Didn’t get to make a solar ‘camera’ at the library’s event on April 3?  You will have the opportunity to make one from a paper plate with one of PV Squared’s cooperators!
• From 1-2PM (EDT), there will be an opportunity to meet and ask questions of Jon Child, Solar & Environmental Science Expert, who will be on hand to talk about Climate Change topics, Pole/ Iceberg Research, and Solar Science/ Energy.
• The library will have eclipse glasses available for use at the program. At 2:00PM (EDT), the eclipse will start and will go until about 4:30PM.

In the event of rain, GPL will be showing a movie from 3:00-5:00PM (EDT) which features an eclipse.

We hope to see you here!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• WHEN WILL THE ECLIPSE HAPPEN IN GREENFIELD, MA? 
  • The solar eclipse will begin at 2:13 p.m. and will max eclipse at 3:27 p.m. before ending at 4:37 p.m.
• WHAT IS A SOLAR ECLIPSE?
  • The moon will glide over the surface of our sun, casting a shadow over a swath of Earth below. Along this path, the world will turn dark as night.
• WILL WE SEE A “TOTAL” ECLIPSE IN GREENFIELD, MA?
  • The event in Greenfield will be considered a “deep partial” eclipse, with magnitude 95.3%.
• IS IT SAFE TO LOOK AT THE ECLIPSE WITHOUT ECLIPSE GLASSES?
  • It is NEVER safe to look directly at the sun during an eclipse (unless you are located at the event of 100% totality, and only for the few moments when the moon has fully obscured its surface).
• WHAT HAPPENS IF I LOOK AT THE ECLIPSE WITHOUT PROTECTION?
  • In general, staring directly at the sun, even for a few seconds, can cause permanent damage to your eyes. 
  • Because there are no pain receptors in the retina, you won’t feel it while it’s happening.
  • Permanent damage can range from blurry or distorted vision to something even more serious, like blind spots. 
• WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE TOTALITY?
  • During totality, the sky will get dark as night and the temperature will drop. 
  • Wispy white strings of light from the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, will suddenly be visible. 
  • Lucky viewers may even spot a thin, reddish-pink circle around the edge of the moon. That’s the chromosphere!
  • Animals will also react to the solar eclipse!
    • Bees stop buzzing, birds stop whistling and crickets begin chirping. 
    • Some pets may express confusion. 
    • Even plants are affected, scientists found after the solar eclipse in 2017. They have diminished rates of photosynthesis and water loss similar to, though not as extreme as, what happens at night! 
• WHEN IS THE NEXT SOLAR ECLIPSE IN THE US?
  • AT LEAST 20 YEARS (unless you’re willing to travel)!  
  • While a total eclipse will graze parts of Alaska in 2033, the next one to reach the lower 48 states is on Aug. 22, 2044. 
  • That event crosses parts of Canada and ends in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota.
  • For those willing to wait until 2045, the eclipse of Aug. 12 that year will start in California and travel east, exiting the country in Florida.