CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — The total solar eclipse is just days away.
Illinois communities in the path of totality, the area where the full eclipse can be viewed, are preparing for an influx of visitors. Those outside the path are creating opportunities for education.
Parkland College's William M. Staerkel Planetarium provides programming about astronomical events all year long, but it had special presentations leading up to the eclipse. "Totality!" showed guests how to safely view eclipses and dove into the history of eclipse watchers.
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"What's really wild is that there's things going on around the sun because of us receiving less sunlight," explained Erik Johnson, the director of the Staerkel Planetarium. "You will notice that the shadows on the ground are going to change. Your shadows will appear a lot more sharp. You'll see the ground will be lit up slowly. Also, because of that less light, the stuff that we normally only see at night might start to pop up."
Click here to learn more about the programming at the William M. Staerkel Planetarium.
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