Flint Hills Discovery Center holding eclipse events

20 March 2024

MANHATTAN (KSNT) – The Flint Hills Discover Center (FHDC) in Manhattan will be holding a free event in anticipation of the total solar eclipse that will happen in April.

People are eagerly anticipating the arrival of a total solar eclipse set to blanket much of the U.S. in darkness on Monday, April 8. This is the last time such an event will appear above the U.S. for the next two decades with the next total solar eclipse set to appear on Aug. 23, 2044.

The FHDC will hold an event from 6 to 7 p.m. on April 3 on what to expect. Professor Chris Sorensen will present on where and when the eclipse will occur, how to prepare and what you can expect to see in Manhattan, according to a press release from FHDC.

Sorensen is a distinguished professor emeritus of physics from Kansas State University and vice president for research and design at Hydrograph, a company formed around his discoveries. Sorensen is heading the solar eclipse activities with K-State.


Cultivating confidence for Manhattan and beyond

A solar viewer workshop event will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 30 at the FHDC Classroom. The workshop will see youth and adults work together alongside the K-State Physics Department to build a viewer to watch the eclipse safely. The workshop will cost $5 for each adult-youth pair, according to the FHDC website.

On March 30, adults and youth can work together to build solar viewers.

For the day of the eclipse, the Discovery Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can join FDHC staff in viewing the eclipse from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. There will be no cost to view the eclipse.

For more information on solar eclipse events planned by the FHDC, click here. For more information on the solar eclipse that will blanket Kansas, click here.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Get the latest in weather alerts by downloading our Storm Track Weather App.

Need help?

If you need support, please send an email to [email protected].

Thank you.