Next Monday at around 2:15 p.m., Warwick’s skies will begin to dim and 90% of the sun will be covered by the moon as the city experiences a partial solar eclipse.
While the city is …
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Next Monday at around 2:15 p.m., Warwick’s skies will begin to dim and 90% of the sun will be covered by the moon as the city experiences a partial solar eclipse.
While the city is out of the band of totality- the closest place to view a full solar eclipse is in northern Vermont- residents will see significant effects in the sky. The last time Rhode Island was in the path of totality was in January of 1925, according to Roger Williams University.
While the city gets ready to see the eclipse, the Warwick Public Library has hosted multiple events leading up to the date, including a trivia night, a PBS Kids Education Workshop and a talk with a Brown University professor. Ongoing until Saturday at the library is an eclipse-themed scavenger hunt throughout the building, according to Library Director Aaron Coutu.
“There definitely is an excitement, because we’re getting regular calls every day,” he said. “Our supply of [solar eclipse glasses] is probably not going to make it through Saturday, but we were able to get a good number of glasses for giving out to people.”
According to Coutu, the library is holding the events in place of an eclipse viewing, which they did in 2017, the most recent eclipse to be visible from the United States.
For a good eclipse-viewing experience, though, Coutu recommends going to a wide-open space with few trees, such as Rocky Point Park, and to experience the event with others. Wearing specially-designed and approved eclipse glasses is a must as well in order to avoid eye damage.
“Take the opportunity, just because you want to be out in the open, have room to spread out and make yourself comfortable,” Coutu said. “I think it’ll be fairly easy to find a place like that in most of the villages in Warwick.”
What makes this even more special, according to Coutu, is that this is the last opportunity for many to get a chance to see the eclipse. The next total eclipse passing over the United States won’t be until August of 2044, and its path of totality will only go through Montana and North Dakota, according to NationalEclipse.com.
Coutu also noted that the current eclipse would be a more intense viewing experience than 2017’s, during which Warwick only reached 65% totality.
“There’s just something about the event, because it’s so rare,” Coutu said. “They do leave an impression on people.”
While it’s not an official eclipse viewing party, Coutu said that the library will be opening up the baseball fields behind it during the eclipse so those in the library can see it from there.
With the date of the eclipse coming closer, Coutu said that making sure to take time to witness the event in Warwick’s skies on Monday will be well worth it.
“They do leave an impression on people,” Coutu said. “Stephen King has two books that are both set during an eclipse that went through Maine in 1964, and there’s also been a few other authors who also wrote about that exact same eclipse, because it’s something that they remember and hold dear…People will remember this for a while, because it’s such a rare occurrence and I think we’re always a little intrigued by something that’s so different and unlike our everyday lives.”
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