JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – With just days left until the April 8 solar eclipse, organizations and groups are preparing to host viewing events in Mississippi.
As the moon blocks the sun’s light during the eclipse, locations experiencing totality will be plunged into darkness. Stars will become visible, street lights could turn on, and the temperature will drop. Mississippi will see a partial eclipse during the event.
Experts say to wear eclipse glasses to avoid damaging your eyes, but if you’re in the path of totality, you’ll only need to do that before and after the eclipse.
Here are some of the viewing events that will take place in Mississippi on April 8:
Solar Eclipse Viewing Party – Hattiesburg
Keg and Barrel will open for lunch in Hattiesburg on the day of the eclipse. Solar eclipse glasses will be available. Hattiesburg will be at 83.93% coverage. The partial eclipse starts at 12:32 p.m., will be at its maximum at 1:52 p.m., and will conclude at 3:11 p.m.
Solar Eclipse Event – Jackson
Join MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science for the eclipse! Tickets are required in advance and are available online only. The ticket deadline is on Friday, April 5 at 3:00 p.m. Eclipse glasses will be included with advance tickets. Eclipse activities will be led by NASA Astro Camp Specialists (Inflatable Planetarium and Sunspotter Solar Telescopes) and Museum staff. The eclipse begins at 12:33 p.m., will be at it’s maximum at 1:52 p.m., and will conclude by 3:11 p.m.
Solar Eclipse Watch Party – Jackson
The Jackson/Hinds Library System will host a watch party starting at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 8 at the Willie Morris Library in Jackson and at the Evelyn Taylor Majure Library in Utica. Viewing glasses will be available. The Medgar Evers Library is holding a viewing party 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Lois A. Flagg Library in Edwards will also host an Eclipse Day starting at 3:30 p.m.
Solar Eclipse Viewing Event – Oxford
On April 8th, the Society of Physics Students, in conjunction with the Physics Graduate Student Association and the Student Members of the American Chemical Society, will hold a campus-wide event to provide an opportunity for all to safely view the solar eclipse at the University of Mississippi. From 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., there will be a table in the Union Plaza distributing eclipse glasses and directing people to the main viewing event in the Quad in front of the Johnson Commons from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Telescopes will be set up to see details of the sun’s surface, and moon pies will be distributed near solar maximum.
Solar Eclipse Viewing Event – Starkville
Mississippi State University (MSU) will host a solar eclipse viewing event on April 8. The event is free and open to the public on the MSU Drill Field. Proper eyewear will be available at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at noon. Maximum eclipse, which in Starkville will be approximately 90% coverage, occurs at 1:56 p.m., though the eclipse will be visible between 12:37 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Partial Eclipse of the Park – Vicksburg
On April 8, Vicksburg National Military Park and the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library will host a viewing event for the partial solar eclipse. A partial solar eclipse with be visible in Vicksburg with an approximate 92% occlusion of the sun. Join park rangers and staff from the library outside the Visitor Center to view the eclipse and explore family friendly space-themed activities. Free solar eclipse viewing glasses will be provided for those who participate in the program. The viewing event will be ongoing from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The next solar eclipse won’t be visible from the contiguous United States until 2044.