LIST: Solar eclipse viewing events happening in Southwest, Central Virginia

Across our region, excitement is growing for the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.

The sun, at peak eclipse, will be 88% obscured by the moon in the Roanoke Valley. Another total solar eclipse isn’t expected to happen again for 20 years.

[READ MORE: A total solar eclipse briefly darkens part of North America two weeks from Monday]

There are plenty of solar eclipse events happening across our region. So grab your family and friends, a pair of solar eclipse glasses, and if you snap a pic, don’t forget to send it to us via Pin It here.

Here’s a list of solar eclipse viewing parties happening on Monday, April 8 across our region:

Lexington

• 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Rockbridge Regional Library: Gather at the library to watch the solar eclipse with your friends and neighbors. There will be activities, a photo station and more! Viewing glasses will be available while supplies last.

Lynchburg

• 11:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Central Virginia Community College: Join us for a fun-filled, educational day of crafts and activities as we celebrate and experience the solar eclipse together! Throughout this event, we will have crafts, activities, and lectures relating to the phenomenon that is an eclipse. There will be free eclipse glasses available for the first 5,000 viewers.
• 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Downtown Lynchburg: Join the Lynchburg community and watch the eclipse with friends, family and fellow astronomy enthusiasts.

Radford University

• From 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Center for the Sciences and in Parking Lot C: Radford University is inviting astronomy enthusiasts of all ages on campus and from the community to immerse themselves in the wonders of the cosmos.

Roanoke

• 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Mill Mountain Discovery Center: Pack a cooler with snacks and drinks, and bring a chair or blanket, and enjoy the solar eclipse at the Mill Mountain Discovery Center in Roanoke. Registration is not required, but if you register you are guaranteed a pair of Eclipse Viewing Glasses. To register, click here.
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Science Museum of Western Virginia: See an immersive full dome show in the Eye Planetarium. A spectacular rooftop viewing of the eclipse during its peak visibility at approximately 3:15 p.m. $18 per person. To purchase tickets, click here.

Roanoke County

• 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Explore Park: Bring a chair or blanket to enjoy a solar eclipse viewing at Roanoke County’s Explore Park. Safety glasses will be provided while supplies last. Wear sneakers to zipline through the trees with an hour and half long timeslot. $10 per person, ages 7-18. Email elayman@roanokecountyva.gov to reserve groups. Click here to pre-register for this event (required).
• 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at all Roanoke County Public Library locations: Join the Eclipse Party at the Roanoke County Public Library and get a pair of eclipse glasses when you arrive for the event. Registration required. To register, click here.

Roanoke College

• From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Roanoke College on the Back Quad: Professor Truong Le and his students are set to host a viewing of the highly-anticipated total solar eclipse. Eclipse-viewing glasses will be available and there will also be telescopes with solar filters for guests to view the eclipse.

Virginia State Parks

• Solar eclipse viewings at Virginia State Parks, including Smith Mountain Lake, Natural Bridge, New River Trail, Claytor Lake and more. Be sure to pack your solar eclipse viewing glasses, but if you forget, each park will sell eclipse glasses in their visitor center or gift shop for $1 plus tax while supplies last. For a list of participating state parks and viewing times, click here.

Virginia Tech

• 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Virginia Tech Drillfield: Virginia Tech’s College of Science and Department of Physics will host a solar eclipse viewing event for hundreds of students, faculty and staff. Viewing glasses will be supplied, and there will be 10 solar telescopes. The College of Science will raffle off 250 t-shirts designed for the event, and attendees can enjoy celestial treats.

Pocahontas County, WV

• 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Greenbank Observatory: The Greenbank Observatory will host an eclipse viewing party with hands-on activities from 1 to 4:30 p.m., lunch specials and exhibits in the science center all day, and safe eclipse viewing through telescopes and projections. This event is free.

We’ll continue to update this article with solar eclipse viewing events. If you know of an event we’ve missed, send the event details to lhelkowski@wsls.com.