Solar Eclipse

A rare cosmic occurrence will enshroud central Nevada on Sunday, May 20.

By NEVADA MAGAZINE | May/June 2012

In Homer’s Odyssey the phrase “...and the sun has perished out of heaven, and an evil mist hovers over all” is believed to refer to a total solar eclipse that took place on April 16, 1178 BCE. Eclipse chasers and Nevadans in a gigantic swath of Silver State spanning from Reno to Goldfield and Ely to Mesquite will have a chance to see for themselves what drove the Greek poet’s sinister prose on Sunday, May 20 when an annular solar eclipse crosses overhead. According to NASA’s website dedicated to eclipse events around the globe, the Nevada event will take place from 6:28 to 6:33 p.m. eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov

Myriad events across the West are planned to celebrate the rare occurrence, including the Symbiosis Gathering, May 17-21, on Pyramid Lake’s eastern shore. It’s touted as a five-day festival celebrating sustainable living, multisensory art, and transformative learning. pyramideclipse.com

For more information about Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation, and other spots on the reservation to view the eclipse, visit pyramidlake.us.

Leading up to the solar eclipse, the Astronomical Society of Nevada’s Jim Fahey will present “Today the Sun, Tomorrow the Eclipse” on Saturday, May 19 at the Nevada Historical Society in Reno. Then, to see and celebrate the actual eclipse, the Fleischmann Planetarium is hosting a free viewing party Sunday, May 20 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the MacLean Observatory on the Redfield Campus of the University of Nevada, Reno. For safe viewing (looking directly at the sun without protection can cause serious eye damage), the planetarium will provide solar viewers available for sale in the Science Store. eclipsereno.unr.edu

Great Basin National Park, in eastern Nevada, will host a program with special telescopes at its visitor center in Baker. Join park rangers for an observing party that begins at 3 p.m. and will have interactive events leading up to the start of the eclipse. Special viewing glasses will be available for purchase in the bookstore. nps.gov/grba

In Southern Nevada, the Las Vegas Astronomical Society hosts its Cathedral Gorge Spring Fling on May 18-19 at the state park of the same name, just west of Panaca. On Sunday, the day of the eclipse, “some LVAS members will obviously stay and observe the eclipse or move further up the road beyond Pioche to get on the center line,” reads the LVAS website. lvastronomy.com

Death Valley National Park rangers will be offering prime-time viewing from Dante’s Viewpoint. From 5:30-7:30 p.m., rangers will assist park visitors in seeing the eclipse through telescopes and solar glasses from a premier vantage point within the park. Dante’s Viewpoint is located 30 miles south of the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. nature.nps.gov

Visitors to and residents of Las Vegas can join a viewing party at the College of Southern Nevada Planetarium starting 4 p.m. The planetarium will present “Secrets of the Sun” in the theater at 4:30 p.m., and telescopes will be set up at the Student Observatory for viewing. The Astronomy Store will be selling eclipse-viewing glasses.

Silverton Casino Hotel is holding a viewing from 5:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. for guests to see this ring of fire while surrounded by friends and family. Also, Silverton Rewards Club members can pick up their free pair of annular solar eclipse viewing glasses from the Silverton Rewards Club between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. the day of the eclipse. silvertoncasino.com

Transit of Venus

On June 5, Nevadans will witness another extremely rare solar occurrence, when Venus passes directly between earth and the sun. Viewers will see the distant planet as a small dot gliding slowly across the face of the sun. Observers in North America will see the transit on that Tuesday evening through sunset, so you want to have a clear western horizon. transitofvenus.org