St. Joseph, Mo. – St. Joseph is one of the largest cities on the path of totality for the Great American Eclipse on Aug. 21, and Missouri Western State University has several activities planned to help educate and entertain the public about this astronomical phenomenon.
– The Bushman Planetarium is showing “Totality,” a new show about all kinds of eclipses, at various times, including two showings on the morning of the eclipse, at 9 and 10 a.m. Aug. 21. Click here for show times and to purchase tickets, which must be purchased in advance.
– The Potter Art Gallery inside Potter Hall presents SOLAR, an exhibition of solar-themed artwork from, Aug. 7 to Sept. 15, with a closing reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. Admission is free, and the gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
– The Walter Cronkite Memorial inside Spratt Hall will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, with space-themed special displays and a space suit photo-op. Admission is free.
– Talk with the Experts at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Aug. 20 in the Potter Hall Theater. Guest speakers include Michael Bakich, senior editor of Astronomy magazine; Brian Busby, chief meteorologist at KMBC-TV in Kansas City; Mike Reynolds, professor of astronomy at Florida State College at Jacksonville; and Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The talks will be free and open to the public.
– Eclipse!, a family-friendly musical revue with live performances of music with solar or lunar themes woven together with the stories and legends associated with the solar eclipse, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20, in the Potter Hall Theater. There is no admission charge, but donations will be accepted. The show is directed by Dr. Bob Willenbrink, founding dean of the School of Fine Arts, with musical direction by Lory Lacy Zuptich, adjunct faculty of flute. The production is funded in part by a grant from the David H. Morton Memorial Fund for the Arts.
For all eclipse-related activities, please check the University’s Eclipse 2017 website. The website also will feature spectacular images of the total solar eclipse via a livestream broadcast with an H-Alpha telescope.
On the actual total solar eclipse day, Aug. 21, Missouri Western’s campus is closed so our employees can experience this once-in-a-lifetime event.