The Alliance Public Library will host astronomer Dr. Martina Arndt from Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, for a special program about Solar Eclipses Thursday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center located at 1450 Box Butte Avenue. Dr. Arndt will be leading a team of researchers who will be studying the sun’s corona during the week of the solar eclipse. At sunrise or sunset, the sun is visible as a bright orange disk, however the sun has a corona or atmosphere that extends for thousands of miles around the sun. “Because the sun is so bright, we cannot collect data unless we do so during a total solar eclipse. The moon does the best job of blocking out the bright solar surface, allowing us to actually see the atmosphere,” said Dr. Arndt.
Dr. Arndt has traveled throughout the world to conduct her research since the study of the corona can only occur during a total solar eclipse. She will discuss eclipses and share photos of many of the ones she has seen as well as highlight what her research team will be focusing on while they are in Alliance. Dr. Arndt’s presentation is free and open to the public. Alliance is on the center of the path of totality for the Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017.