Cosmo’s Corner: Learning about the eclipse!

Meow and hello, my fellow astronomy buffs, it’s Cosmo the Library Cat! As you might have heard, an annular solar eclipse is happening soon: on the morning of Saturday, October 14, to be precise. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, an annular eclipse happens when the moon comes between the Earth and the sun at the time when the moon is at its farthest point away from the earth. This results in a ring of light from the sun being visible around the moon rather than the sun being completely blocked. 

There are several other types of eclipses. A partial eclipse is when the moon goes between the sun and the Earth, but they don’t line up perfectly. This leaves a little sliver of the sun peeking out. A total eclipse is when the moon comes between the Earth and the sun in a perfect line, at a time when the moon is closer to Earth. Then you can’t see the sun at all and it gets cold and dark! And then there’s a total eclipse of the heart, which doesn’t involve the sun, Earth, moon, or hearts for that matter, just big hair and the expressive chord progression typical of power ballads. Turn around, bright eyes, but be sure you’ve got your eclipse-viewing glasses on, because your eyes will be damaged without this protection!   

An eclipse like this is a very special event. To commemorate it, we are having a special STEAM storytime for children at Grand County Library. Join us Tuesday, October 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the library’s large meeting room for a story and fun activities designed to explain how an eclipse happens. Plus, we’ll have special eclipse glasses for everyone to take home. You can also pick up eclipse glasses for free at both the Moab and Castle Valley library’s circulation desk anytime.  

I’ve noticed that some animals act pretty weird during an eclipse. For example, certain birds might tuck themselves in to roost, just like they do when it’s nighttime. I bet they’ll feel pretty silly when the sun comes out again. I, for one, plan to maintain my nonchalant demeanor, as befits a grown cat.

If this rare celestial event has piqued your interest in either astronomy or astrology, we also have many books at the library that you can check out. 

Keep looking up!