Citrus Libraries invites you to Get Eclipse Ready!

Did you know there are two solar eclipses happening in the next year? Saturday, October 14 Citrus County will experience an Annular Eclipse and on April 8, 2024 we’ll get to see another partial eclipse. The last time an eclipse was visible in Florida was 2017, and the next total eclipse to cross the continental US won’t be until August 12, 2045 – so you surely won’t want to miss these two! The partial eclipse on October 14 will be visible starting at 11:50 AM and will peak at 1:20 PM. In Florida, the sun will never be totally covered during either eclipse so you’ll need special protective glasses.

This October, residents of Citrus County will have the opportunity to witness a partial solar eclipse! On Saturday, October 14 at 11:00 AM space enthusiasts of all ages are invited to attend our “Celebrate the Eclipse!” program at the Lakes Region Library in Inverness. During the program you’ll learn about why eclipses happen and make some eclipse-themed crafts to celebrate.

Starting October 1, free eclipse glasses will be available at all five library branches. Supplies are very limited and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last. Stop by any of our library branches and show a staff member your library card to receive 1 free pair of eclipse glasses.

Additional solar eclipse glasses will be given out during the “Celebrate the Eclipse!” program at the Lakes Region branch for those who don’t already have specialized glasses. The Central Ridge branch in Beverly Hills and the Homosassa branch will also have additional glasses on-hand Saturday, October 14, but those supplies will also be extremely limited.

The funding for this year’s solar eclipse glasses was made possible through funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Space Science Institute. More than 10,000 libraries nationwide had the ability to request a portion of the five million glasses that were donated overall.

Library programs are free and open to the public. For more information about this program, please visit our online calendar at attend.citruslibraries.org/events or call the Lakes Region Library at (352) 726-2357. To stay in the know about upcoming programs and events, and new services and resources available to the public, you can visit citruslibraries.org or follow @CitrusLibraries on Facebook and Instagram.