Plans are underway in Auburn to celebrate the total solar eclipse passing over the area in April.
The Cayuga Museum and Case Research Lab a joining the list of groups across the state planning events to mark the occasion. Geoff Starks with the museum told Finger Lakes News Radio that they plan on offering programming all weekend.
“We’re doing a whole weekend set of celebrations; we’re going to do a special talk that is free to attend on Saturday of the weekend; we’ll do activities for First Friday that are related to the eclipse, and then on Monday we will do a special viewing event on top of the Pheonix Building,” Starks said.
The viewing party has a special connection to the museum due to the work of the Case Research Lab during a total eclipse in 1925. Starks explained that, even though it’s best known for its work on sound film, the lab was a general research institution and took great interest in the total solar eclipse passing over Auburn. Partnering with the Colby Radio Research Lab, the scientists documented the event from on top of Auburn’s Masonic Temple.
“The Case Research Lab was doing work and we have found records of the work they were doing to actually record [the eclipse],” Starks said. Apparently, they made some recordings of the eclipse on camera.”
To the museum, he added that it’s like getting to relive a part of Auburn’s history.
The viewing party also includes lunch, a special presentation on what the Case Research Lab was doing during the 1925 eclipse, and a tour of the Phoenix Building. Space is limited for the event and tickets are required. Ticket information can be found at cayugamuseum.org.
Starks added that the museum is planning additional programming for the event and will update the public on a dedicated part of its website as more events are added.
The eclipse will be on April 8.
