As August’s eclipse nears, Beaufort County libraries are giving away free viewing glasses

August’s eclipse is fast approaching, and Beaufort County libraries are giving you a chance to do something that you’ve been told not to do since you were a kid: stare at the sun.

Library branches throughout the county will be giving away eclipse viewing glasses to people that attend eclipse programming either on the day of or prior to the day of the eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21. The glasses, which look like old fashioned 3D glasses but with the blue and red lenses swapped for silver ones, allow people to look directly at an eclipse.

There are 1,200 glasses available between all branches, with the Saint Helena branch slotted to have the most. Glasses are intended to be used by those attending library eclipse programming.

Events will include building pinhole projectors for eclipse viewing and building model solar systems. Programming related to the eclipse has been underway at library branches since mid-June. There will be a bevy of sun-themed refreshments available, from Sun Chips to Capri Sun to Sunkist raisins. Branches will also be screening NASA’s coverage of the eclipse starting at 11:45 a.m.

“We’re excited because it gives us the opportunity to educate children, and the glasses will certainly help draw kids to the programs,” said Beaufort County Library System Director Ray McBride.

At the height of the eclipse in Beaufort County, around 2:45 p.m., the moon will appear to cover more than 90 percent of the sun. Those further north in the county will see more coverage, while Charleston will see a full eclipse. The eclipse will begin in the Lowcountry around 1:45 p.m. and conclude around 3:30 p.m.

Beaufort County students will get the day off from school to witness the historic event, the first total solar eclipse to be visible across the entire continental United States since 1918.

A calendar of events can be found at the Beaufort County Library website.

This story was originally published July 9, 2017 at 4:06 PM with the headline "As August’s eclipse nears, Beaufort County libraries are giving away free viewing glasses."