'Astonishing event': Peoria museum throwing a solar eclipse party

PEORIA - A Solar Eclipse Watch Party will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. April 8 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

The event, which will happen outside the museum on the aptly named Sun Plaza, is free and open to all.

The moon will pass in front of the sun and present a rare total eclipse in a narrow path of the U.S. from Texas to Maine. While southern Illinois will provide the best viewing opportunity in Illinois, Peoria will also have a very good view, with about 95% of the sun eclipsed at 2:03 p.m. There won't be another total solar eclipse visible in the United States until 2045.

“A total solar eclipse is a rare and astonishing event,” said Renae Kerrigan, Peoria Riverfront Museum planetarium director and science curator. “For nearly 3 minutes the moon will entirely block out the light of the sun and darkness will fall in the middle of the day. The sky will turn a deep blue, with an orange glow stretching across the horizon. Planets and bright stars will be visible.”

Attendees will be able to view the eclipse through solar telescopes and eclipse viewing glasses, which will be available at the museum store for $4. There will also be family-friendly activities, and food will be available at the museum's concession stand and local food trucks.

More:Illinois city once again in path of totality for the 'magic of a total solar eclipse'

Admission to the museum's galleries will be waived during the event, courtesy of Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program. The Solar Eclipse Watch Party is being funded by Sun Collectors, with additional support from Visionary Society and Planetarium and Science Club.

Learn more about observing the eclipse by watching the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s video on the museum’s YouTube channel and the museum’s website. Information about the Solar Eclipse Watch Party can be found on the museum’s website at peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.