Fresno’s Discovery Center will host special viewing of solar eclipse

In the weeks leading up to Monday’s solar eclipse, the Discovery Center hadn’t planned to hold an eclipse-viewing event.

But after receiving plenty of phone calls, Fresno’s go-to place for hands-on science education for children decided to do something after all.

Neal Bourzac, the center’s education and outreach specialist, will set up a solar telescope for people to safely see the eclipse, from its start at about 9 a.m. to its conclusion at about 11:45 a.m. Viewings will be free.

“People can come and go as they please to see the eclipse,” Bourzac said.

While a narrow band across the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina will experience a total eclipse – in which the moon completely obscures the sun except for its brilliant corona – Fresno will experience only a dimming of the sky, with the moon blocking about 72 percent of the sun.

Instructors at the Discovery Center will be on hand to answer questions and lead other activities related to the eclipse.

Astronomers and eye-safety experts warn that people should not look directly at the sun without special solar-viewing glasses. They also could see the event through a solar telescope such as the one that will be set up at the Discovery Center.

“This close to the eclipse, solar glasses are in short supply,” said Susan Weikel Morrison, a NASA science education ambassador in Fresno. “Some suppliers are sold out, and others are offering glasses at highly inflated prices.”

Because there have been concerns about counterfeit solar glasses sold online, Morrison offered advice for telling if they are safe. “While wearing them, look around outdoors in full sun,” she said. “If you can see anything, they are not safe for looking at the sun without risking serious eye damage. The only thing you should be able to see with sun-safe glasses is the sun itself.”

Without solar eclipse glasses, people can still view the eclipse by making a pinhole camera using pieces of cardboard to project an image of the sun onto another surface. “The resulting crescent from the partially eclipsed sun can be viewed on the ground or on a wall,” Morrison said. “Also enjoyable is to see all the crescents in shaded areas as light that filters through tree branches forms natural crescents.”

The Discovery Center is at 1944 N. Winery Ave., north of McKinley Avenue in east-central Fresno. Details: 559-251-5533.

This story was originally published August 15, 2017 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Fresno’s Discovery Center will host special viewing of solar eclipse."