Get ready for the next total solar eclipse — one taking place Monday, April 8.

Unlike August 2017, when the Middle Tennessee State University campus celebrated the last solar eclipse with a major campus event attracting thousands of visitors, this time the path of totality does not fall across Murfreesboro, but the solar eclipse glasses many used back then to view the phenomenon will still come in handy.

Department of Physics and Astronomy professor Chuck Higgins will bring details for the eclipse starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 1, during the Star Party — the second of four scheduled this spring — in Wiser-Patten Science Hall Room 102. Free parking can be found behind Wiser-Patten and other nearby lots.

“You will have to travel to a nearby state like Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana or Ohio to see a total eclipse,” Higgins said. “If you plan to stay here, you will experience a 93% partial eclipse and see a dimmed sky — a bit like twilight — in the middle of the day.”

Higgins said people viewing the eclipse in Murfreesboro or the Midstate need to be careful. 

“Because the sun is not completely covered, you will need to use solar eclipse glasses to view the sun,” he said. “If you don’t have solar eclipse glasses, you can see beautiful crescent-shaped suns on the ground beneath the trees. You will also notice shadows from all objects are particularly sharp.”

After April 8, the next total solar eclipse that can be seen from the contiguous U.S. will be April 23, 2044.

All Star parties are free and open to the public. The format is a 30- to 45-minute lecture followed by a telescope viewing at the nearby MTSU Observatory, weather permitting.

Typically held on the first Friday of the month during the semester, the Physics and Astronomy Friday Star Parties feature an assortment of interesting astronomy and physics topics from veteran faculty members.

The remaining Friday Star Party schedule:

• April 5 — Shoot the Moon (with a laser), presented by lecturer Greggory McPherson.

• May 3 — Topic to be announced, presented by instructor Irina Perevalova.

For more information about Physics and Astronomy, one of 11 College of Basic and Applied Sciences departments, call 615-898-2130.

Observatory eclipse opportunity

While no major eclipse event is scheduled on campus this year, professor Eric Klumpe plans to open the observatory near Wiser-Patten from about 12:45 to 2:45 p.m. April 8, Higgins said. It will be an opportunity for people to come and watch coverage of the eclipse on the observatory’s television screens. Klumpe will be available to answer questions and lawn chairs are welcome.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)