SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Mark Breen will present the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program “In the Land of Shadow and Light: The Science, Beauty, and Nature of Eclipses” on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m., at the Nolin Murray Center, next to St. Mary’s Church, on Pleasant Street in Springfield.
Breen, senior meteorologist and planetarium director of the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, is returning for his 13th annual presentation to our Springfield OLLI group.
Of all the astronomical events that we can witness, none has brought the range of fear and excitement, superstition and science, hysteria and history, as that of eclipses. Breen will illuminate the shadowy nature of eclipses, from lunar eclipses and their curious transformation of the moon to a bizarre red disc, to the extremely rare total solar eclipse, like the one seen in northern Vermont this past April. Through the centuries, humans worked tirelessly at unraveling the mysteries of the heavens, and eventually came to understand the role of the moon, orbiting the Earth, yet only very rarely passing so precisely between the sun and Earth, or through the Earth’s shadow, in order to create an eclipse. Breen will weave elements of science, history, and imagery to change the mysterious to the marvelous.
Sponsored by the University of Vermont, OLLI is run by local volunteer members, and is geared mainly towards seniors who are 50 years of age and over who enjoy learning for the fun of it. Anyone who would be interested in this type of program, regardless of their age, is welcome. The programs are held Tuesday afternoons, at 2 p.m., and last about an hour and a half.
You may view the entire semester’s programs by going to the website www.learn.uvm.edu/olli/springfield. Preregistration can be done online at this website with a credit card. You may also register over the phone, using your credit card, by calling 802-656-8407 during regular office hours, Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. There is a membership series fee. Nonmembers are welcome and encouraged to attend individual programs for a single program fee.
If there are weather-related changes to the schedule, you can check the above website on the morning of the program.
This is the final program of the fall semester. Spring 2025 programs begin on Feb. 25, and will be announced on the website and in the newspapers.