With only 2 weeks until the April 8, 2024, Total Solar Eclipse, American Paper Optics unveils their Top 10 Total Solar Eclipse Glasses Collectibles and Historic Events for Travelers. This US-based manufacturer has worked with hundreds of science centers, schools, museums, foundations, libraries, destinations, and NASA to make commemorative eclipse glasses. These favorites are listed by city, lunar events and eclipse times for this momentous moment in the sky – that won’t happen again for over the U.S. for 21 years (August 2045).
For this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event, an estimated 3.7 million will travel to get the best views of this eclipse that will be seen in Mexico, Canada, and 48 contiguous U.S. states. In the U.S., 15 states and 24 cities from Texas to Maine will be on the direct “Path of Totality” with complete darkness mid-day during “Totality”. The other 33 states will see a Partial Eclipse at different levels, based on the “Eclipse Magnitude”.
“It will be like watching 30 Super Bowls in the sky,” explains American Paper Optics CEO John Jerit, whose company has produced 300+ million eclipse glasses over the past 34 years that are ISO and CE Certified and proudly Made in the USA for consumers and organizations.
And to give back, Jerit’s Memphis-based factory will donate 50% of profits from their two “Eclipse Glasses for a Cause” to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the ALS Association.
https://www.eclipseglasses.com/collections/charity-eclipse-glasses
This Great North American Eclipse will last approximately 3 hours in each location as it crosses the country, with 2 – 4.5 minutes of “Totality” or a maximum partial eclipse in the middle. This Top 10 is listed based on the city’s peak eclipse times.
1. Fredericksburg, TX / near San Antonio (Totality = 1:32 – 1:37pm CST)
Eclipse-O-Rama 2024 – Bill Nye the Science Guy and The Planetary Society are hosting an exceptional camping festival April 7-8, 2024, in Fredericksburg, Texas, outside San Antonio. Nye runs the world’s “largest and most influential space-interest organization”. American Paper Optics made Nye’s limited edition glasses that are available on EclipseGlasses.com.
https://www.eclipseglasses.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-stock/products/bill-nye-eclipse-guy-glasses
2. Austin, TX (Totality, 1:36-1:38pm CST)
UTotal Solar Eclipse at The University of Texas at Austin – On April 8th, the Total Eclipse of the Horns experience will include 16 Sun Spots on their Forty Acres across campus with burnt-orange eclipse glasses and eclipse-themed snacks.
https://eclipse.utexas.edu/
3. Houston, TX (Partial Eclipse, 94% Eclipse Magnitude, Peak 1:40pm CST)
Space Center Houston – Anyone can attend Space Center Houston’s eclipse weekend celebrations April 6-8, 2024 with “space flown artifacts, tram tours to NASA Johnson Space Center, out-of-this world events, and more.” And on April 8th, guests will receive a complimentary pair of commemorative eclipse glasses for this epic event.
https://spacecenter.org/events/eclipse/
4. Dallas, TX (Totality, 1:41-1:44pm CST)
Perot Museum and Community Outreach Events – The Perot Museum will host eclipse educational activities and community outreach programs April 3-8, 2024. In addition, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science is partnering with Carnegie Institution for Science to host an extraordinary event on eclipse day. For this Total Solar Eclipse, Dallas will also be the largest city on the “Path of Totality”.
https://www.perotmuseum.org/events/great-north-american-eclipse/
5. Little Rock, AR (Totality, 1:52 – 1:54pm CST)
Arkansas Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) – As a popular eclipse travel destination, The University of Arkansas teamed up with ASGC to distribute 450,000 collectible eclipse glasses. ASGC plays an important role in a nationwide network funded by NASA “to enhance America’s aerospace science and technology capabilities.” On April 8th, the “Path of Totality” will cross 53 counties in Arkansas, including Little Rock.
https://www.eclipseglasses.com/pages/arkansas-space-grant-consortium
6. Miami, FL (Partial Eclipse, 56% Eclipse Magnitude, Peak 3:02pm EST)
Solar Eclipse Weekend at Frost Science – Miami will have a partial solar eclipse celebration at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (Frost Science) with a special Frost Planetarium show. It’s Miami’s only planetarium, aquarium and science museum, and specialty eclipse glasses are available in their Science Store. https://www.eclipseglasses.com/pages/frost-science-group
7. Indianapolis, IN (Totality, 3:06 – 3:10pm EST)
IMS Eclipse Watch Party – The Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) will host one of the biggest U.S. Total Solar Eclipse watch parties in a stadium for 100,000 attendees. IMS was also chosen by NASA as a broadcast location where their experts will be available to answer questions. “The Greatest Spectacles” are included in the admission fee (while supplies last). https://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/events/eclipse/buy-tickets/tickets-gate-admission
8. Cleveland, OH (Totality, 3:14 – 3:18pm EST)
SolarFest Events at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will host a SolarFest with cool eclipse glasses and expanded hours 10am-10pm during eclipse weekend. There will be cosmic activities for music fans, including: live performances, educational and family programs, eclipse soundtracks and playlist listening parties in celebration of David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Sun Ra, Taylor Swift and more. https://www.rockhall.com/solarfest
9. Syracuse, NY (Totality, 3:23 – 3:24pm EST)
Maxwell Memorial Library – Starting March 25, this Syracuse-area library will give out free eclipse glasses (1 per family). These collectibles were provided by Star Net with the support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries (SEAL), and the Space Science Institute. American Paper Optics made 5 million SEAL eclipse glasses for this initiative that is supporting 10,000 libraries across the U.S.
https://maxwellmemoriallibrary.org/more-about-eclipse-glasses/
10. New York, NY (Partial Eclipse, 91% Eclipse Magnitude, Peak 3:26pm EST)
Warby Parker Free Eclipse Glasses Give-Aways Across US – To help millions view the Total Solar Eclipse safely, Warby Parker (headquartered in NYC) is giving away 500,000 custom eclipse glasses at their stores nationwide starting April 1, 2024 (while supplies last).
https://www.warbyparker.com/solar-eclipse-2024
So the main question now is: Where are you going to drive or fly to view this historic Total Solar Eclipse and get your collectible eclipse glasses?
