Silver City Library hosts solar eclipse event 082117

Photos by Mary Alice Murphy

Attendees, at least 60 of them, showed up at the Silver City Public Library to hear presentations related to the solar eclipse and to get solar filter glasses for viewing the progress of the eclipse in Silver City. It was expected to reach about 65 percent.

Beth Randolph and John Mayberry, science fiction authors, did some readings that related to eclipses, and talked about the early history of eclipses and how science had changed over the years.

The next annular eclipse, which is also a solar eclipse, with the moon coming between Earth and sun, but not bringing totality, leaves a ring of sunlight around the orb. The next one nearby will pass directly over Albuquerque on Oct. 14, 2023.

To check out lunar and solar eclipses for the next 10 years, visit https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/. Look for the worldwide list of future eclipses.

A total solar eclipse will happen in April 2024, with the path across much of Texas.

The handout indicated that 70 percent of eclipses last longer than the one that occurred today, which lasted a maximum of two minutes, 43 seconds. The longest total solar eclipse from 4000 B.C. to A.D. 8000, a time span of 12,000 years, will occur on July 16, 2186, and is expected to last seven minutes, 29 seconds.