Event Details
This event is now sold out. The upcoming total solar eclipse will be a spectacular experience! Join us to explore some context around the astronomical event: you'll engage in six short sessions led by researchers from across the University who will discuss their different insights and perspectives on the eclipse. We'll provide one free pair of eclipse viewing glasses per participant, and anticipate that the discussions will be at a level for teen and adult participation. Registration required.
Roan Haggar, Waterloo Centre for Astrophysics
Get a sneak preview of the total eclipse inside our portable planetarium! Explore the Universe, learn how to find stars, planets, and galaxies in the night sky, and discover how the eclipse provides excellent opportunities to further our knowledge.
The Ecology Lab, Faculty of Environment
Members of the Ecology Lab will showcase how different organisms adapt to their environment during an eclipse. Learn what’s fact and what’s fiction with animal behavior during these rare occurrences.
Andrew McMurry, Department of English
In literature, solar eclipses are often occasions of madness and terror, when characters face their suppressed fears and grapple with their cosmic irrelevance. We will consider several writers who explore the dark spaces in the human soul that are revealed, ironically, by the all-consuming darkness of a total eclipse.
Liza Sazonova, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Even today, eclipses are seen by some as dark omens. Learn how civilizations viewed them hundreds of years ago – when eclipses had the power to crown kings and stop wars!
Paul McGrath, Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing
Have you ever wondered how scientists know when to expect an eclipse? How long an eclipse will last? How big the shadow of the eclipse will be? In this session, we'll use some basic ideas from geometry to answer these types of questions and more.
Jeff Hovis, School of Optometry and Vision Science
A solar eclipse is probably the most spectacular astronomical event to watch. Nevertheless, observing the sun be dangerous if the proper precautions are not taken. This presentation will overview the various ways to protect your eyes and still observe the eclipse safely.