Adler Planetarium’s Dr. Andrew Johnston, Vice President of Astronomy and Collections, recently visited Dover’s corporate headquarters to present a best practices field guide for viewing the celestial event, as well as historical facts about solar eclipses.
On Monday, August 21, 2017, a solar eclipse will be visible (weather permitting) across all of North America. In Chicago, the eclipse will begin at approximately 11:54 a.m. At 1:19 p.m., the Moon will block 87% of the Sun. The most recent viewing opportunity in the continental United States was in 1979. And Chicago wasn’t even a city yet in 1806, the last time a total solar eclipse was visible from the lakefront. The next visible solar eclipse from Chicago will not be until 2099.
Dover is a proud partner of Adler Planetarium. Over the past two years through the partnership with Adler, young people have been able to participate in design-engineering competitions, stay overnight at the Planetarium while learning about astronomy, and develop STEM and professional skills through special programs.