May 27, 2016 – When astronomers typically enjoy their hobby, it’s under an inky black sky. But on June 26th at Wilson Park in downtown Florence, they’ll be stargazing in the middle of the day, at our own sun. From 11 a.m. until 6 pm, Shoals Astronomy Club will participate in International SUN-Day, a world-wide occasion to advocate and inform the public about our nearest star. There is no charge for this event.
Members of Shoals Astronomy Club will set up filtered telescopes for safe viewing of sunspots and solar flares. They will assemble a solar cooker, produce electricity with a solar panel, and provide educational material provided by NASA’s Heliophysics Science Division.
Starting in 2007, International Sun-Day was created by the Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project in Atlanta. Every year, more and more astronomy groups participate in this single-day event, turning it into a daytime global outreach for space science and the hobby of amateur astronomy.
This event is weather-dependent. If the daytime forecast calls for rain, it will be canceled without notice, but it will be held with partly cloudy skies. For questions, please contact us at shoalsastro@gmail.com.
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