Communitywide trip to focus on Great American Eclipse of 2017



Friday, May 12, 2017

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University is partnering with the Flint Hills Discovery Center to bring the once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse to the front door of the Manhattan community.



Students and community members are invited to a group experience traveling to witness the eclipse Aug. 21 when the moon will completely cover the sun and be visible in portions of the U.S., including northeastern Kansas. The university and the Discovery Center combined efforts to organize charter buses to take participants to Highland to view the eclipse.



Buses will depart from campus and the Discovery Center at 8 a.m. and return at approximately 4 p.m. Those attending also will enjoy activities and events including food vendors, a beer garden, live music and walking tours. Additionally, Chris Sorensen, Cortelyou-Rust distinguished professor of physics at Kansas State University, will offer two astronomy viewing nights and a lecture at the Discovery Center regarding the eclipse. Details about the events are available at k-state.edu/eclipse/.



"We flip around terms like 'awesome' for not particularly awe-inspiring things, but this truly is awesome in the grandest sense," Sorensen said. "When the sun sets, we typically see the boundary between light and dark as the dark comes in from the east, but in this case, we will see sunlight in every direction. This is perhaps the epitome of beauty in nature."



This will be the first total eclipse of the sun visible in the U.S. since 1979, and the first in Kansas in nearly a century. The sun's corona is not visible to the naked eye except during an eclipse, and especially bright stars also will be on display.



Stephen Bridenstine, public program coordinator for the Flint Hills Discovery Center, said the center is excited to partner with Kansas State University to bring this experience to the community.



"In Manhattan, folks will see most of the sun covered by the moon, but we only get the full effect of the total eclipse in the path of totality," he said. "Everything will fall quiet as the wind drops and participants see only darkness and an up-close view of the amazing corona of light surrounding the moon."

Tickets for the trip are $25 for students and $35 for community members. Purchase tickets, or contact Tony Ballard, 785-532-2402 or tballard@k-state.edu, with Kansas State University Global Campus for more information.