On Monday, April 8, millions of Americans will experience an awe-inspiring phenomenon: a total eclipse of the sun. Hamilton County will be in the path of totality.
Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL) invites you to prepare for the upcoming eclipse by joining Tyler Nordgren, author of Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets, for a virtual author visit and talk from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 23.
In Sun Moon Earth, astronomer Tyler Nordgren illustrates how this most seemingly unnatural of natural phenomena was transformed from a fearsome omen to a tourist attraction. Ten attendees will be randomly selected to win a signed copy of Sun Moon Earth. Virtual attendance to this program will earn attendees a pair of free eclipse glasses. (Winners must pick up their prize and attendees must pick up their glasses in-person at the Noblesville Library or Fishers Library.)
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Dr. Nordgren is a professional astronomer and artist. He holds a Ph.D. in Astronomy from Cornell University. For two decades he was a professional astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory, Lowell Observatory, and the University of Redlands in California.
Since 2007 he has worked with the National Park Service to promote dark skies education and outreach, writing the book Stars Above, Earth Below: A guide to astronomy in the national parks. As an artist, his vintage-style “Half the park is after dark” posters are on sale in state and national parks across the country.
For the 2017 “Great American Eclipse” Dr. Nordgren wrote the book, Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets, describing the vast array of social and scientific influences eclipses have had throughout history. His “See the Sun and Moon align with You” posters for the 2017 eclipse were acquired by the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in 2020.
Dr. Nordgren’s work has also appeared at NASA Headquarters and the White House where he designed the poster for President Obama’s White House Astronomy Night in 2015. His work also appears on Mars as a member of a small team of scientists and artists that turned NASA’s Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity Mars rover camera calibration targets into working sundials. He lives in Ithaca, N.Y., and is currently busy creating artwork for the “Great North American Solar Eclipse” on April 8, 2024. His work can be found at SpaceArtTravelBureau.com.
“HEPL is delighted to offer this virtual author visit with Dr. Tyler Nordgren,” said Kelsey Sweet, Director of Marketing and Communications at HEPL. “While the library will be closed on April 8, 2024, we aimed to engage our community with several fun and educational opportunities leading up to the solar eclipse.”
This event is open to teens and adults, and registration with email is required to receive Zoom webinar invitation. Don’t miss this remarkable opportunity to learn more about the upcoming total solar eclipse.
For more information about this program and other upcoming solar eclipse themed programs, please visit the blog at hamiltoneastpl.org.