Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Solar Eclipse on Eve of Buhl Planetarium's 75th Anniversary

Photo from postcard sold at Buhl Planetarium in the 1970s, showing Buhl Planetariium fronted by the Allegheny Square Fountain
Photograph from the 1970s of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute
of Popular Science with the fountain of Allegheny Square Plaza in the foreground.
Thursday's Partial Eclipse of the Sun falls on the eve of the 75th anniversary of
the dedication of Buhl Planetarium. (Image Source: Friends of the Zeiss)

By Glenn A. Walsh
Reporting for SpaceWatchtower

A Partial Eclipse of the Sun or Solar Eclipse, visible throughout most of North America, will occur Thursday Afternoon, 2014 October 23 between 3:37 and 7:52 p.m. EDT / 19:37 and 23:52 Coordinated Universal Time. This Solar Eclipse occurs on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the dedication of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

The western portion of North America will receive the best view of this eclipse, while the eclipse occurs very close to sunset in the eastern part of the continent. Internet web-casts are the safest way to view a Solar Eclipse, and may be the only practical way for people in the eastern part of North America.

In south suburban Pittsburgh, safe public viewing, free-of-charge, of this Partial Solar Eclipse will be displayed, via a live Internet web-cast, in a meeting room of the Mount Lebanon Public Library, located at 16 Castle Shannon Boulevard near Washington Road at the southern end of the Mount Lebanon Uptown Business District. This special event is co-sponsored by Friends of the Zeiss and the Mount Lebanon Public Library.

Normally, Friends of the Zeiss would try to show the eclipse to the general public using a telescope on the Library grounds, weather-permitting. However, as the eclipse begins in the Pittsburgh region so close to sunset, regular telescope views of the eclipse are not practical. Hence, we are providing the public with an Internet web-cast of the event.

An Eclipse of the Sun or Solar Eclipse occurs at the New Moon phase of the Moon, when the Moon comes between the Earth and the Sun and blocks out some or all of the light from the Sun on part of the Earth's surface.

WARNING: Observing the Sun or a Solar Eclipse with a telescope, binoculars, or any other type of optical device should only be attempted by people who have received the proper training and possess the proper equipment to do so safely. Looking at the Sun or a Solar Eclipse without the proper training and special equipment would cause PERMANENT BLINDNESS INSTANTLY ! Blindness could come without pain, as there are no nerves in the eyes.

This Solar Eclipse occurs on the eve of the 75th anniversary of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, America's fifth major planetarium with the historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector, the first such projector to be placed on an elevator. The Solar Eclipse event at the Mount Lebanon Public Library will include a celebration of the Buhl Planetarium milestone.

Friends of the Zeiss is a non-profit organization with the mission to promote Astronomy, Space, and related sciences as well as the history and preservation of the historic building, apparatus, and artifacts of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

For people who cannot attend the Library Solar Eclipse event, the Solar Eclipse can be safely viewed at the following Internet web-casts:

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles:
Link >>> http://new.livestream.com/GriffithObservatoryTV

Coca-Cola Space Science Center, Columbus GA: Link >>> http://www.ccssc.org/webcast.html

Slooh Community Observatory: Link >>> http://events.slooh.com/

For a method of safely viewing the Solar Eclipse, check-out this Internet web site:
Link >>> http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/solflyer2.htm . 
 
For further questions about safely viewing the Solar Eclipse, contact:
Electronic Mail >>> < solareclipse@planetarium.cc > or Telephone 412-561-7876.

More on the October 23 Solar Eclipse ---

"Two Eclipses in One Month!!" - Blog of James Mullaney, former Buhl Planetarium Curator of Exhibits & Astronomy: Link >>> http://blog.scientificsonline.com/2014/09/two-eclipses-in-one-month/

NASA ---
Link 1 >>> http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/17oct_sunseteclipse/
Link 2 >>> http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsearch/SEsearchmap.php?Ecl=20141023

Wikipedia.org >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_October_23,_2014

News Release regarding the Library Solar Eclipse Event:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/news/releases/NR-soleclipse20141023.html

More on the history of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science:
Link >>> http://www.planetarium.cc

Walsh, Glenn A. 
"WHEN PITTSBURGH GOT ITS PLANETARIUM<br>
"The 75th anniversary of America's 5th major planetarium."<br>
<u>Planetarian</u> 2014 December: 50. 
A history of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science starting on page 50 of the .pdf file<br>
of this article in the Quarterly Journal of the International Planetarium Society.
Link >>> http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.ips-planetarium.org/resource/resmgr/planetarian/201412planetarian.pdf 


Radio Interviews (2) of Glenn A. Walsh Regarding the 75th Anniversary of Buhl Planetarium -

* "Preview: Buhl Planetarium 75th Anniversary."</a> <i>The Saturday Light Brigade / Neighborhood Voices</i>.<br>
WRCT-FM 88.3 Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh (and network of 5 Western Pennsylvania and<br>
Eastern Ohio college radio stations) 2014 Oct. 25.
Radio interview occurred in the studios of The Saturday Light Brigade, located in Bowdish Gallery of<br>
Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science building.
Link >>> http://neighborhoodvoices.org/preview-buhl-planetarium-75th-anniversary
 
* "Wednesday Rundown: Celebrating the Birthday of the Original Buhl Projector." Essential Pittsburgh.
WESA-FM 90.5 Pittsburgh 2014 Oct. 22.
Link >>> http://wesa.fm/post/wednesday-rundown-celebrating-birthday-original-buhl-projector 
 
Link to other articles and references regarding the 75th anniversary of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science:
Link >>> http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/75years/quickhistory.html#75news 

Related Blog Posts ---

Buhl Planetarium Scale-Model Joins Miniature Railroad and Village  (2014 Nov. 27): Link >>> spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/11/buhl-planetarium-scale-model-joins.html

75th Anniversary of America's 5th Major Planetarium  (2014 Oct. 24):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/10/75th-anniversary-of-americas-5th-major.html

Asteroid Named for Henry Buhl of Buhl Planetarium  (2014 June 26):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2014/06/asteroid-named-for-henry-buhl-of-buhl.html

Buhl Community Park at Allegheny Square Opens  (2012 June 25):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/06/buhl-community-park-at-allegheny-square.html

70th Anniversary: Buhl Planetarium Observatory (2011 Nov. 19):

Link >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2011/11/70th-anniversary-buhl-planetarium.html


Source: Glenn A. Walsh, Reporting for SpaceWatchtower, a project of Friends of the Zeiss.

2014: 75th Year of Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium Historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.


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gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/fotz/ >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SpaceWatchtower Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Also see: South Hills Backyard Astronomers Blog: < http://shbastronomers.blogspot.com/ >
Barnestormin: Writing, Essays, Pgh. News, & More: < http://www.barnestormin.blogspot.com/ >
About the SpaceWatchtower Editor / Author: < http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/weblog/spacewatchtower/gaw/ >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < https://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

1 comment:

  1. I attended that Library Solar Eclipse event, it was quite informative. You know the celebration of the Buhl Planetarium milestone was just fabulous guys!! I loved the big meeting room used for this event. Meeting Room was quite huge and near about 500 people gathered there very easily.

    ReplyDelete