The program
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America from Mexico to New England with the path of totality passing over southeast Missouri a little before 2:00 p.m. With totality lasting nearly four and a half minutes (double that of the 2017 eclipse!), this is a "bucket list" astronomical event you won't want to miss.
In this presentation, Jackie Beucher from the Astronomical Society of Kansas City and astronomer David Levy (joining virtually) will discuss everything you need to know to plan your eclipse trip: Where to see it, what to expect, and how to safely view it.
Exhibition galleries
Along with a program each month, the Library's exhibition galleries are open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Second Saturdays. Come early or stay afterwards to view the current exhibition, Chained to the Sky: The Science of Birds, Past & Future. The galleries are also open during regular Library business hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Virtual attendance option
This program will be presented in-person at the Linda Hall Library. If you would prefer to watch this program virtually, please follow this link to register:
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE
Jackie Beucher has been an astronomy enthusiast her whole life, starting with her father, a TWA pilot, showing her the night sky from their driveway in rural Overland Park. She joined the Astronomical Society of Kansas City in 1986, and then bought her first telescope to observe Halley’s Comet. She saw her first total eclipse of the sun in Hawaii in 1991.
In the late ’90s, she began leading tours all over the world to see total eclipses of the sun in locations in the U.S., Greece, Aruba, Australia, Tahiti, China, Siberia, and La Serena, Chile. She has now witnessed 13 total eclipses and two annular eclipses.
Jackie is currently a board member of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City and previously served as president, vice president, and treasurer. She is a trustee of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, and vice chair of the Missouri chapter of the Dark Sky International.
David H. Levy is one of the most successful comet hunters in history. He has discovered 22 comets, nine of them using his own backyard telescopes. With Eugene and Carolyn Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California he discovered Shoemaker-Levy 9, the comet that collided with Jupiter in 1994. That episode produced the most spectacular explosions ever witnessed in the solar system. Levy is currently involved with the Jarnac Comet Survey, which is based at the Jarnac Observatory in Vail, Arizona, but which has telescopes planned for locations around the world.
Dr. Levy is the author or editor of 35 books and other products. He won an Emmy in 1998 as part of the writing team for the Discovery Channel documentary, “Three Minutes to Impact.” As the Science Editor for Parade Magazine from 1997 to 2006, he was able to reach more than 80 million readers, almost a quarter of the population of the United States. A contributing editor for Sky and Telescope Magazine, he writes its monthly “Star Trails” column, and his “Nightfall” feature appears in each issue of the Canadian magazine, Skynews.
