REXBURG The Madison Library and a retired astronomy professor are teaming up to offer all things Great American Eclipse this month at the facility.

Allan Morton and adult services librarian Cathy Stanton plan provide a series of seminars about the eclipse. Morton has an extensive background in astronomy, as he taught it at an Arizona college for nearly three decades. Stanton spent eight years with the National Park Service, where she hosted night sky programs.

The Great American Eclipse will be visible during the morning hours of Monday, Aug. 21, in the Upper Valley. It's considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for residents and visitors.

Thanks to a donation from the Space Science Institute, the library has around 5,000 eclipse glasses that it plans to give away to library card holders who don't have any fines.

We're going all out for the eclipse. We will be giving eclipse glasses to anybody who comes to these meetings, Stanton said. Anybody can have as many as they need for their household. We don't want 4,000 glasses sitting around on Aug. 22.

Morton plans to give a general discussion on eclipses at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, at the library. Following that he'll teach residents to make a device called a day-star projector.

At the end of the day, they'll have a little eclipse viewer, he said.

Morton said his day-star projectors are based on the principle of the pinhole camera.

It's a little bit more fun to use. You can learn things about optics and mirrors, he said.

Morton came up with the idea for his day-star projectors when some of his college students were unable to attend a full eclipse in Mexico in the 1990s. Morton wanted a way to create a record of an eclipse. The projector is made of 3x5 cards, tape, glue and a small mirror. It costs less than $4 to make. Area craft stores carry the necessary supplies.

Stanton plans to oversee a seminar called Lost in the Stars at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 15. The second seminar is called Just a Phase and is scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at the library.

On Tuesday we'll be talking about the stars. It will be a basic introduction to the night sky. It will be for those who don't know anything about astronomy and are kind of hesitant to begin, Stanton said.

During the Thursday seminar Morton will discuss phases of the Moon.

We'll be talking about science and folklore and have some demonstrations. We'll talk about origin theories all kinds of stuff, she said.

Morton returns at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, where he'll review the history of astronomy in the Upper Valley.

Morton noted there was a Rexburg eclipse in 1889. He perused the journal of 19th century Mormon pioneer William F. Rigby in hopes of finding something out about it but had no luck.

He had no journal entry for Jan. 1, but he had an entry on Jan. 5. He was in a stake presidency and said that 'Brothers, we need to support the Bannock Academy,' he said.

Morton said that the academy started on Nov. 12, 1888, and, just six weeks later the eclipse took place.

So here are all these students getting together, and some teachers may have gotten together who were interested in science. Surely they knew about the eclipse, he said.

Morton is hoping to find the diary of a resident's ancestor who might have written about the eclipse shortly after it happened.

There's no known person who wrote about what happened here in Rexburg for that eclipse, he said. If anybody has an old journal from that whole week, and if they can find that great-great uncle Joe went and saw the eclipse, I'd love to know that. I could include that in my talk on Aug. 18.

Morton found some information about the 1889 eclipse thanks to a web search.

We know it was clear. All the weather reports say it was clear in Winnemucca and in Pocatello, Blackfoot, Salmon and in Helena, Montana, he said.

Morton's research also indicated that trainloads of people from Salt Lake City headed toward Rexburg to watch the eclipse. One of the more interesting accounts was from a 4-year-old boy.

It was really cute. He said that 'The sun played a trick on those chickens,' Morton said.

Apparently, as the sun darkened, chickens went back into their chicken coop, and as soon as the sun came back out the chickens also went back outside.

The chickens thought they were roosting for the night, but it wasn't night yet. The eclipse happened in the afternoon, Morton said.

Following his lecture on Friday, the library plans to host its annual star party around 9 p.m.

We'll have some telescopes to look at Saturn and whatever else is visible at that time, he said.

Stanton said Morton knows a lot about astronomy.

He is really passionate about astronomy. That makes for a very fun and interesting evening, she said.

Morton grew up in Rexburg and attended Madison High School, where he served as the president of the Science Club. He graduated from there in 1964. He later went to work for Arizona Central College, where he worked for 29 years.

Always interested in the heavens, Morton says that an eclipse is of great importance.

It's one of the most awesome things you could ever see in the sky, he said.

A Mormon, Morton paraphrased the LDS scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 88 when considering how important an eclipse is.

It's talking about the stars and planets and things up in the sky. It says 'Any man who has seen any of the least of these has seen God moving in His majesty and power,' he said. To LDS it helps define why it's of value.

Regardless of religion, the eclipse is turning out to be a significant event in the area. Stanton says she's received calls and emails from people from Canada to Nebraska to Norway to Taiwan.

The guy from Norway heard about the eclipse glasses being handed out here at the library and wanted to know if we could save him a pair. First of all, if you can fly from Norway, you can afford to buy two pairs of glasses, she said.

Others have wanted to know if the library planned any programs that day and if they could use the bathrooms.

We are closed on Aug. 21. We just want people to get out there and enjoy the eclipse. It's not a day to be inside, Stanton said.

That day may be especially meaningful to Morton, as he's expecting a grandchild during the Great American Eclipse.

On Valentine's Day, my son called and said, 'Guess what, dad? We're having a baby on Aug 21, he said.

For more information on the library's eclipse programs call 208-356-3461. For more information on Morton's day-star projectors write to him at scutum63@msn.com.

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Former astronomy professor and Madison Library team up for eclipse seminars - Rexburg Standard Journal