Oregon, located on the west coast of the United States, is the first place where observers can experience the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (when the moon completely blocks the sun). To celebrate this spectacle, that has been nicknamed “The Great American Eclipse,” Oregon is hosting major viewing parties on August 21, 2017.
Since Madras, a small Central Oregon town will find itself at the center line of totality during the eclipse, they are hosting Oregon SOLARFEST. Organizers have partnered with NASA for this significant celestial event because it is the first total eclipse whose totality path lies completely within the United States since 1776, the first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in America since 1918, and the first total solar eclipse visible from the continental United States since 1979.
Salem’s Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is hosting The Solar Eclipse Viewing Party at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. The Solar Eclipse Viewing Party will include science lectures, astronomy-related community groups, entertainment, and more.
In addition to viewing in Oregon, everyone in North America plus parts of South America, Africa, and Europe will see at least a partial solar eclipse.
Of course, those who plan to observe the eclipse should never look directly at the sun without proper eye protection because serious and permanent eye damage can occur. Examples of proper eye protection include eclipse glasses, No. 14 welder’s glass or observe the eclipse indirectly, by making a pinhole camera or watching shadows cast by trees.
For further information or to obtain high res images please contact:
Joanne Motta, Media Relations Australia/NZ
C/- Canuckiwi GSA Travel Oregon, Email: joanne@canuckiwi.com, Phone: +61 403 180 751