On Saturday October 14th, 2023 at around 1 PM, our two favorite planetary bodies will be aligned, and we will be witnessing a partial annular eclipse here in central Florida. 🌆🌞

At an educational event at the Orange County Library in Downtown Orlando, Derek Demeter (Director of the Emil Buehler Planetarium at Seminole State College) shared the tale of a 6th-century war, and the mid-battle "day turning into night", prompting peace treaties and the end of a several year-long conflict.

While being a fascinating spectacle to experience, there are no limits to the centuries of documentation showing the evolution of humankind and our connection to what happens beyond our atmosphere. Eclipses have been so present in history and fiction that they can be traced through thousands of years’ worth of storytelling, from oral tales shared between travelers to blockbuster movies.

The library isn't only a place to check out a book, its a space to connect your community with the past, present, and future.

Today and tomorrow, branches all over town will be hosting eclipse events and viewing parties, where you and your loved ones can collect re-usable glasses to look at the sun safely— whether on a regular ol' bright sunny Floridian afternoon, or during the next two eclipses that we'll be witnessing between this month and next April.

Learn more about the planetarium and even watch their livestream out on the path of totality at facebook.com/seminoleplanet. The library also has many amazing resources at ocls.info.