PORT ANGELES — North Olympic Peninsula residents can begin now to prepare for a partial eclipse Aug. 21.
The total eclipse will be viewable on the path of totality, which will cross northern Oregon. Western Washington will experience a partial eclipse.
Free solar glasses, necessary to protect the eyes, and a map of the eclipse will be available at several venues, including the Port Angeles Farmers Market at the corner of Lincoln and Front streets from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
On Monday, Aug. 7, the glasses will be available at a presentation at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., and all public libraries in the North Olympic Library System — those in Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Clallam Bay — also will have the glasses at their customer service desks Aug. 8-21.
During the Aug. 7 presentation, NASA Solar System Ambassadors Nancy Cooper and Ron Hobbs will present hands-on activities and a discussion of the Great American Eclipse.
At 4:30 p.m., Cooper will lead a demonstration of how a solar eclipse works, with opportunities to get your hands dirty and model the eclipse yourself.
At 6:30 p.m., NASA’s Ron Hobbs will present The Great American Eclipse discussion, reviewing the astronomy and history of solar eclipses, as well as how to safely view the eclipse no matter where you are.
Protective eyewear is a must for safe viewing of a partial eclipse, organizers said, adding that viewing even a sliver of the sun can cause permanent damage to vision.
Free solar glasses and a map of the path of the eclipse also will be available at the SolarTaxi Documentary at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Port Angeles Library.
Cooper got her start as a teen working at her local planetarium in upstate New York, where she later became director of her college planetarium.
She has taught marine biology, environmental science and astronomy for all ages in the Puget Sound region for the past two decades.
In the past decade, Cooper has been a volunteer presenter for the University of Washington’s Astronomy Department’s Planetarium K-12 outreach education program and a volunteer in local schools connecting teachers and students with NASA’s missions to the stars.
Hobbs is an instructor for Bellevue College’s TELOS education program for retirees, teaching a course on the history of space exploration.
Since becoming a Solar System Ambassador, he has delivered more than 200 presentations to K-12 classrooms, retirement centers and professional associations.
He has taught, spoken and written extensively on topics as diverse as herbal medicine, public health, astronomy and mountaineering.
