See an eclipse (safely) at Augustana College

Augustana College is helping skywatchers safely view a partial eclipse next month for free.

The college’s John Deere Planetarium and Fryxell Geology Museum are hosting a free public viewing of the partial eclipse of the sun on Saturday, October 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The planetarium is located at 820 38th Street in Rock Island. Indoor and outdoor programs will take place in the planetarium, observatory and geology museum. Guests can see safe telescope and naked-eye views of the partial eclipse of the sun. During the eclipse, about half of the sun will be covered by the moon.

The planetarium features a quarter-ton piece of the Canyon Diablo meteorite and a planetarium show displaying images and information on the night sky.

The Fryxell Geology Museum will also be open during the event and features one of the best collections of minerals and fossils in the Midwest. The museum features a wall of glowing, fluorescent rocks; casts of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull; and a complete 22-foot-long skeleton of Cryolophosaurus, a large-crested carnivorous dinosaur discovered in Antarctica by former geology professor and Fryxell curator William Hammer.

Observing areas are unheated, so visitors are urged to dress appropriately. If there are cloudy sky conditions, telescope views might not be possible, but the indoor programs will still be offered.

For more information on the John Deere Planetarium, click here. For more information on the Fryxell Museum, click here.