Westfield Memorial Library to present Live Streaming of Rare Solar Eclipse on August 21 10 am to 3 pm

(August 7, 2017) – On Monday, August 21 at between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., the Westfield Memorial Library will present a live streaming of the rare solar eclipse. People can visit the library at 550 East Broad Street anytime during those hours.

The trajectory of the eclipse won't reach New Jersey, but New Jersey residents can still experience the amazing view.

Across the country, university students will send 57 cameras up by weather balloon to monitor the 2017 total solar eclipse, and the near-space views will be live streamed from coast to coast in a collaboration with NASA.

For the initiative, called the Eclipse Ballooning Project, teams from universities across the United States will fly the balloons as high as 100,000 feet (30,000 meters), and the views they send back will be collected and broadcast live on NASA TV.

According to the NASA website, a solar eclipse occurs when the moon casts a shadow onto Earth. For a total eclipse to take place, the sun, moon and Earth must be in a direct line.

A total solar eclipse is only visible from a small area on Earth. The people who see the total eclipse are in the center of the moon’s shadow when it hits Earth. The sky becomes very dark, as if it were night.

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and closed on Sunday for the summer.

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org, and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”

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