Follow the sun at these solar eclipse viewing events

The sun and moon are putting on a show and this time around, Illinois gets seats close to the stage.

Not only will the southernmost section of this state enjoy totality during the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, Illinois will experience the longest duration of darkness (by a whisker over Kentucky)of all states along the entire solar eclipse path, according to greatamericaneclipse.com.

"It's going to be something unique," said Noella Dcruz, professor of astronomy at Joliet Junior College, which will host one of several viewing parties across the Southland on the day of the event.

"The last time there was a solar eclipse that could be seen in the United States was in 1979, and it was only in a small part of the Northwest that people could experience totality. There was another one in Hawaii in 1991," she said.

This time, there are 14 states, including the Prairie State, from which the total solar eclipse will be visible at peak time.

"It's quite a big deal across that 70-mile swathe," Dcruz said.

Dcruz explained that you have to be in the right place at the right time to experience this rare occurrence. But unlike in horseshoes, being close counts, too.

First, a grade-school science class refresher:

"The moon is about one-fourth the size of the earth and about 400 times smaller than the sun. When the moon comes between the sun and the earth, you have an eclipse," Dcruz said.

"Because the moon is so much smaller than the earth, when its shadow falls on the earth, it's so much smaller," she said. Its shadow falls in about a 70-mile wide region on the earth.

People have to be within that region to witness a total solar eclipse, she said. But if they are nearby, they can experience a partial eclipse, which is what Northern Illinois will experience.

Brian Sievers, physics teacher at Shepard High School in Palos Heights, said the best place to view the total eclipse in Illinois is in Carbondale.

Those planning to look skyward during the total or partial event, he warned, should wear eclipse glasses.

"An eclipse of the sun (or solar eclipse) can only occur at New Moon when the moon passes between the earth and sun," he said.

Since a new moon occurs every 29 1/2 days, he added, "You might think that we should have a solar eclipse about once a month. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen because the moon's orbit around the earth is tilted 5 degrees. As a result, the moon's shadow usually misses the earth as it passes above or below.

"At least twice a year, the geometry lines up just right so that some part of the moon's shadow falls on the earth's surface and an eclipse of the sun is seen from that region," he said.

Don't want to drive to Carbondale that Monday and join the 90,000 to 350,000 others expected to swarm the viewing epicenter? No worries. Lots of places across Northern Illinois are recognizing this area's partial eclipse that day by hosting viewing parties and other events.

The Palos Heights Public Library (palosheightslibrary.org) is hosting a solar eclipse viewing event from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 21. Presented by youth and teen services, the program will include indoor demonstrations of eclipses and a space project, and then move outside for viewing with safety glasses.

Also that day, the Oak Lawn Public Library's (olpl.org) solar eclipse party will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. and will include video feed from NASA, hands-on activities and Skyping with folks at Shawnee National Forest where totality will occur.

In addition, the Alsip Merrionette Park Public library (alsipmerrionetteparklibrary) is hosting The Great American Eclipse party from 1 to 2 p.m., with solar glasses available for visitors.

And Chicago's Adler Planetarium (http://ift.tt/LI0Yxd) is having a giant block party on the day of the eclipse.

"We are expecting 10,000 people to come to the museum and see the eclipse here with us," said Jennifer Howell, spokeswoman for the museum. "It is free general admission for everyone. We will have a stage with live entertainment, hands-on science, food trucks and more."

Dcruz said, at JJC's main campus, 1215 Houbolt Road, a free viewing event will kick off at 11:45 a.m. and continue to 2:43 p.m. on the lawn in front of the new event center.

There will be sunspotter telescopes that project the sun's image onto paper as well as a limited number of eclipse viewers that enable people to look directly at the sun without damaging their eyes, she said.

Inside, participants can watch a live feed of the total eclipse from NASA and the Exploratorium in San Francisco, she said.

Though the Joliet eclipse will not be total, Dcruz said, "We'll see the sun covered 88.4 percent by the moon at the peak, which is 1:19 p.m."

Meanwhile, Art Maurer, director of JJC's Trackman Planetarium, will have a limited number of solar viewers available and two telescopes set up at the college's new City Center Campus, 225 N. Chicago St., Joliet.

Viewing starts at 11:30 a.m. and ends at 2 pm.

"One of the telescopes will be used to project an 18-inch image of the sun during the entire eclipse. Since the image is on a 'screen,' it can be viewed by a group of people simultaneously and can easily be photographed with a smart phone," Maurer said.

For those who want to view the eclipse from their own backyard or school, Maurer also is hosting two shows at the planetarium on how to safely do that. The shows are set for 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday . (For information, go to http://ift.tt/2uQFh9W.)

Dcruz said, "This will be a good opportunity for people to see a solar eclipse. There will be a thin crescent of sunlight that will still be visible at 1:19 p.m. We usually don't see that, so that will be something unique."

Events such as this intrigue people and spark an interest in science, she added.

"I think a lot of people are interested in astronomy. But I'm not sure how many people are actually able to look at astronomical objects with their own eyes because of all the light pollution. It's hard to see a lot of the sky at night," she said.

The solar eclipse, she added, provides "a daytime opportunity to look at an important astronomical event."

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