A group of more than 100 community members will get a prime view of the upcoming solar eclipse thanks to a trip offered by Wichita State’s Office for Workforce, Professional and Community Education.

Starting bright and early on the morning of Monday, Aug. 21, the group will travel to St. Joseph, Missouri, to view the eclipse, hear expert commentary by Astronomy Magazine’s Michael Bakich and be guided by WSU physics alumnus Caleb Ginar, a space science educator at the Kansas Cosmosphere and former NASA intern.

While Wichita will see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon covers part of the sun’s disk, only those individuals within the path of totality – a relatively thin ribbon about 70 miles wide that will cross the U.S. from west to east – will see the total solar eclipse.

St. Joseph is in the middle of it all, and during the eclipse the moon will fully cover the sun for just over 2 minutes 38 seconds.

The last time the contiguous U.S. saw a total eclipse was in 1979. The next eclipse over this area won’t happen for another 189 years.

Kimberly Moore, Continuing Education director, says she had a feeling the trip would be in high demand, but was still surprised when reservations filled up in only one day.

A second bus was added and filled up within three hours. Anyone interested can get on a waiting list. Register at http://bit.ly/2uCrzac or call 316-978-3731.

Cost is $109 a person.

» Learn more about other trips and classes through Community Education at WSU.