eclipse

eclipse

Space for all

Space for all

The April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse has generated a lot of interest in all aspects of Space. The IU East Campus Library has created a resource guide featuring the IU East interactive Solar Walk, numerous facts about the Solar System, and books and activities for youth and adults to learn together. Additionally, we received funding from the Indiana University Foundation that enabled us to create a customized activity book. It is available for 100 individuals who participate in the Solar Walk at IU East, in Whitewater Hall on April 4th or 5th. Reservations are needed to ensure each tour group is not too large. Science of planets, stargazing apps, history of space exploration With so much information available, this … Continued
Space, The Final Frontier

Space, The Final Frontier

Looking up at the vastness and seeming timelessness of space, people have always sought to understand what lies beyond the Earth.  Ancient people struggled to explain phenomena like moon phases, shooting stars, comets, blood moons, meteors, and even eclipses.  It was a source of interest, though – ancient megalithic structures and cave paintings are thought to show astronomical awareness. Lacking the development of scientific methods, myth was built by every culture to help explain the unexplainable structure of the universe.  The sun was rationalized as the Greek god Helios who rode a blazing chariot across the sky.  Lunar eclipses were seen as Dewi Ratih, a Hindu lunar goddess, who was devoured by the floating head Kala Rau but always safely … Continued
Howl at the Moon

Howl at the Moon

Homecoming is approaching at IU East, and this year’s theme is “Howling at the Moon”.  Events are scheduled starting October 28 and culminating on November 3 with the installation and reception for Chancellor Dennis Rome at 11:00 in Vivian Auditorium and the Whitewater Hall lobby, and later the Homecoming Men’s Basketball game at 1:00 against Northwestern and the Women’s Volleyball game at 7:00 against Shawnee State, in the Student Events Center. Howling at the moon also evokes space; and ties the festivities to the upcoming eclipse where the moon will obscure the sun.  Wolves howling at the moon is a widely recognized cultural image.  Of course, wolves don’t just howl at night – or even specifically at the moon.  They … Continued
To the moon and stars

To the moon and stars

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross the sky over Richmond, Indiana for four minutes, starting at 3:07 PM.  The IU East campus is in the path of totality, which means that viewers of the eclipse will see the sun completely obscured.  This is a rare event, and the next eclipse of this kind is not expected to occur in this area until 2044.  The library has plenty of resources to assist in understanding the universe.  A good introductory source would be books on basic astronomy.  While the library has access to dictionaries and textbooks on astronomy, it also carries more popular materials as well.  Astrophysicists like Neil DeGrasse Tyson and well-respected scientists such as Stephen Hawking … Continued
Look, Up In the Sky

Look, Up In the Sky

This year, eclipses are major news.  On October 14th there will be an annular eclipse (that is, one where the moon is too far away to completely block out the sun, and you can still see the outer ring of it). On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be happening. For about four minutes, the sun will be completely blotted out of the sky, and only the solar corona will be visible. Many events are being planned locally around the eclipses, and special filtered glasses that allow people to look directly at them without damaging their eyes will be available from several organizations in our region, including IU East and the Morrisson-Reeves Public Library. Eclipses are academically important … Continued