2017 is a good time to be a skywatcher! On Aug. 21, the moon will completely blot out the sun for observers in 12 states, from Oregon to South Carolina, in the first total solar eclipse visible from the US mainland since 1979. The rest of North America will be treated to a partial eclipse. Many are calling the 2017 eclipse ‘the sky event of the decade," 

Andrew Fraknoi’s illustrated book, When the Sun Goes Dark, is a fun way for young astronomers to find out all about this rare and spectacular event and gives children and adults hands-on techniques for learning the science behind eclipses of the Sun and Moon.

An award-winning educator who has taught college-level astronomy courses for more than four decades, Andrew Fraknoi  was named California Professor of the Year in 2007 by the Carnegie Endowment for Higher Education and has received state, national and international awards for his outstanding skill of interpreting astronomical discoveries and ideas in everyday language. He served as the executive director of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and founded and directed Project ASTRO, which trains and brings  astronomers into 4th – 9th grade classrooms. Fraknoi appears regularly on radio and television programs, is the author of Disney’s Wonderful World of Space, and chronicles astronomy developments and news through his Facebook page, The Astro-Prof. 

Join us and find out everything you need to know about the upcoming Great American Solar Eclipse.