This Monday, August 21, New York will bear witness to an eclipse of the sun at 2:44 PM. If you haven't nailed down plans for how to (safely) view this rare astronomical event, the Library has you covered. See below for all the events we're hosting in honor of the solar eclipse:

Viewings

Chatham Square Library: Solar eclipse viewing party for children ages 6-12 and their families.

Port Richmond Library: Solar eclipse party for children 10 and up and their families.

St. George Library Center: Livestream viewing of the solar eclipse for all ages.

West Farms Library: Solar eclipse viewing party for all ages.

Pelham Bay Library: Solar eclipse viewing party for all ages.

Riverside Library: Solar eclipse viewing party and craft for all ages.

Look for more eclipse-related events here. Make sure to call your branch ahead of time to inquire about registration and whether safety glasses will be provided. Happy viewing!

How to View the Solar Eclipse When You *Can't* Look at the Sun

At the Andrew Heiskell Braille & Talking Book Library, we’re always discovering new ways for patrons with all kinds of vision to explore information. Often, concepts that the average person thinks are “visual” are, in reality, just spatial: people who learn non-visually can access them through hearing, touch, and narrative. As New Yorkers prepare for the upcoming solar eclipse on August 21, here are a few ways to experience this rare event and other celestial phenomena in an accessible way.

Learn About the 1878 Solar Eclipse

Want to know more about solar eclipses of the past? Our archives have some amazing stories from the 1878 solar eclipse that happened from Alaska to Texas. Read up on how the scientific community made its way to the path of totality during this astronomical event. You can also see artist and amateur astronomer Étienne Leopold Trouvelot's drawings from the same solar eclipse here.