Sunday, May 19, 2024
Fort Worth — The Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History are partnering for a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse experience. Both venues will offer eclipse viewing areas and educational activities for guests April 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free activity stations will be located outside both the garden and the museum, while guests may also purchase general admission tickets at either venue to take part in additional activities. Paying FWBG and FWMSH members will recieve reciprocal free admission and free solar eclipse glasses at each location.
“People in Fort Worth will talk about where they were during this eclipse for years to come,” said Patrick Newman, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. “The garden is thrilled to provide a backdrop for this monumental experience. The Botanical Research Institute of Texas, the research and conservation branch of the garden, will also carry out key research into how solar eclipses affect plants and wildlife.”
Guests who choose to view the eclipse from inside the garden will be able to gather at the expansive North and South Vistas, which offer unobstructed views of the sky. Prime eclipse viewing will also take place on the museum's front lawn. Blankets and folding chairs will be allowed. To view the eclipse, non-members may bring solar eclipse glasses or purchase them for $3 at either venue. Both venues encourage guests to follow NASA eclipse safety guidelines during the events.
Some of the garden’s activities will include “Sun Song Bingo,” pinhole viewer construction, community science with members of FWBG’s research team and shadow tracing. Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth will have special activities available at the botanic garden for visually impaired guests. The museum will have staff from the Noble Planetarium sharing information about the eclipse and will feature a performance from the U.S. Navy Band Brass Quintet before and after the moment of totality. Guests are invited to build a pinhole eclipse viewer, create a sun print, make an astronaut souvenir, participate in “Sunshine Shenanigans,” explore the eclipse with chalk art and more.
"The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History is thrilled to invite the community to witness the awe-inspiring beauty of a total solar eclipse. Nature's grandeur is on full display, and we are honored to be part of this rare cosmic event," said museum President Regina Faden, Ph.D. "We are excited to share the spirit of exploration and discovery that defines our museum with everyone in Fort Worth and beyond."
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon crosses directly between the Earth and the sun, blocking some or all the sun’s light. Solar eclipses happen on Earth two to five times a year, and total solar eclipses happen on average every 18 months. Despite the worldwide frequency of eclipses, Fort Worth has not seen one since July 29, 1878. Total solar eclipses only recur in one given place within the span of 360 to 410 years. Fort Worth will be in the path of totality, the point of the eclipse where the moon fully covers the sun to produce total darkness, for two-and-a-half minutes starting at 1:41 p.m.
Both the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History are official NSTA and SSI Solar Eclipse Partners. The museum’s work is supported by the Simons Foundation and is part of its ‘In the Path of Totality’ initiative.
