Solar Eclipses of 2023-24
Northwest Georgia will see two partial solar eclipses during the 2023-24 academic year. The first will occur on Saturday, October 14, 2023. The second is on Monday, April 8, 2024. Berry College wants to help provide the opportunity for everyone in the Rome and Floyd County area to safely view these eclipses. This site provides detailed information about the eclipses, how to get an eclipse viewer card, local viewing events, and more!
Eclipse Details
Solar Eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024
This solar eclipse will be a total eclipse meaning some viewers will see the Moon completely block and Sun and the skies will be as dark as night for a short time. Rome Rome, Ga we will see only a partial eclipse. The maximum eclipse seen from Rome is shown above. You can find a full video of the eclipse at timeanddate.com.
The eclipse will be visible in our southwest skies, around 60 degrees above the horizon. Times of key events for Rome, GA are given below.
- Partial Eclipse Begins: 1:45 PM
- Maximum Eclipse: 3:04 PM
- Partial Eclipse Ends: 4:21 PM
Pre-Eclipse Lectures and Events
To learn more about eclipses and how to safely view them, attend Dr. Todd Timberlake’s lecture on Wednesday, April 8, at 7 PM in Berry College’s McAllister Hall Auditorium.
In addition, Dr. Timberlake and Berry student Mary Jenkins (both designated NASA Partner Eclipse Ambassadors) will hold eclipse events at local public libraries. Participants will learn about the upcoming April 8 eclipse and will receive free eclipse glasses. Event details are below.
- March 25, 5-6 PM, Chattooga Library (Summerville, GA)
- March 27, 5-6 PM, Rome/Floyd Library (Rome, GA)
- April 1, 3-4 PM, Cedartown Library (Cedartown, GA)
- April 1, 5-6 PM, Rockmart Library (Rockmart, GA)
Eclipse Videos
Links to eclipse-related videos will be posted here when available. Video of Dr. Timberlake’s lecture will be posted, as well as a video of Dr. Timberlake discussing how to safely view eclipses. These videos will be produced by Berry’s Office of Marketing and Communications .
Eclipse Viewing Cards
Berry physics and astronomy professor Dr. Todd Timberlake worked with Berry’s Creative Services team to design a custom-printed eclipse viewing card featuring the Berry logo and iconic Ford buildings. The cards were produced by Rainbow Symphony, an authorized supplier of ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse cards and glasses.
These eclipse cards (or NASA eclipse glasses) will be available for free at the eclipse viewing events listed on this page. You can also pick up a card before the April eclipse, starting on Monday, April 1. Eclipse cards for the Berry community will be available at the Krannert Information Desk, while cards for the members of the surrounding communities are available at the public libraries in Rome, Summerville, Cedartown, and Rockmart.
Eclipse-Related Computer Simulations
If you are teaching about eclipses (or want to learn on your own) you may want to check out the computer simulations listed below. Eclipses only occur at certain phases (full moon for a lunar eclipse, new moon for a solar eclipse) and they also occur only when the moon is close to a node (a point where the moon’s path crosses the ecliptic line). You can learn more about these topics by exploring the simulations below, which are part of the Open Source Physics collection.
Run the Solar and Lunar Eclipse JS Model
Run the Phases of the Moon JS Model
Eclipse Viewing Events
Monday, April 8, 2024
We are still working on details for these events, but we expect to have a viewing event on Berry campus that will be open to the public. Current plans are for an event at Berry’s Valhalla football stadium starting at 1:30 PM and lasting until 4 PM on Monday, April 8, 2024. More details soon!
Photos of the Eclipse Events
Photos of the eclipse viewing events will be posted here when available.
Photos of the Eclipses
Photos of the eclipses taken from the Rome, GA area will be posted here when available.
Eclipse-themed Playlist
What to do with your eclipse cards/glasses
If you have leftover glasses or cards for viewing the eclipse, please send them to Dr. Timberlake (PO Box 5004, Mount Berry, GA 30149) or drop them in his box outside McAllister Hall 338. He will donate the glasses and cards to Astronomers Without Borders so that they can be sent to school children in Asia and South America to allow them to safely observe upcoming solar eclipses. Please send all glasses/cards by the end of April 2024.
Acknowledgements
Dr. Timberlake would like to express his gratitude toward all those who helped with event planning and logistics, including but not limited to: Cecily Crow, Shannon Biggers, Brant Sanderlin, and Amelia Blackmon.