Fortunately, you can plan to view the 85-90% partial eclipse anywhere you can see the sun in Knoxville. That includes your front yard, a park or an eclipse watch party. Just make sure you can safely view the eclipse.
Knoxville should see the peak partial eclipse around 3:07 p.m., according to eclipse2024.org. The full event should last a little over two and a half hours, starting at 1:49 p.m. and ending at 4:23 p.m.
Knox County Schools announced a half-day for April 8 to let students see the partial eclipse.
Here’s everywhere you can view the eclipse for free in the Knoxville area.
Muse Knoxville will host a partial solar eclipse event
Assistant professor for the University of Tennessee at Knoxville Sherwood Richers is working with Muse Knoxville to host a family-friendly eclipse event. Muse Knoxville is at 516 N. Beaman St.
The 1-4 p.m. event will teach kids about the eclipse using activities, a presentation in the planetarium and solar telescopes. Solar telescopes block out light from the sun and make the star safe to observe.
What time is the solar eclipse: Search your ZIP code for our viewing guide
Richers will have 50 eclipse glasses to share, and Muse Knoxville will have pairs of the special glasses available, too.
Solar telescopes at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville
UT Knoxville’s physics and astronomy department will have solar telescopes set up for the partial solar eclipse, as long as the weather is good.
The telescopes are on the roof of the Nielsen Physics building at 1408 Circle Drive. The department will set up the telescopes 1:30-4 p.m. Consult the visitors parking information if you’re coming from off campus.
The department has two types of solar telescopes. One type reduces white light similar to eclipse glasses. The second type has a hydrogen-alpha filter, which reduces light to only the red hydrogen-alpha wavelength. Both telescopes make it safe to view the sun.
University of Tennessee giving out eclipse glasses for students
If you’re on the flagship Knoxville campus, UT is giving out eclipse glasses for faculty, students and staff at these locations:
-
Student Union information desk at 1502 Cumberland Ave.
-
Tennessee Recreation Center for Students front desk at 2111 Volunteer Blvd.
-
Hodges Library circulation desk at 1015 Volunteer Blvd.
-
Pendergrass Library circulation desk at 2407 River Drive
UT recommends watching the partial solar eclipse from Ayres Lawn. Other good campus locations to watch the partial solar eclipse include Circle Park, the UT Gardens and the Humanities Ampitheatre.
Farragut will host a partial solar eclipse event
Farragut Parks and Recreation will host a partial solar eclipse event 2-3:30 p.m. at the McFee Great Lawn. The event is free and open to everyone of all ages.
The parks department will have a limited number of eclipse glasses to hand out, so be sure to take your own.
Craft and yard games will be set up and the Happy Dog Creamery will sell homemade ice cream during the eclipse.
Sun Life Marinas Concord will be open for the partial solar eclipse
Over at 10931 Concord Park Drive, Sun Life Marinas Concord will be open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. April 8 during the partial solar eclipse.
The marina will have boat rentals 25% off that day. You could get out on the water, dine at Lakeside Tavern or chill on the grassy hill to view the partial eclipse.
Obed Wild & Scenic River will host a partial solar eclipse event
West of Oak Ridge and Wartburg, Obed Wild & Scenic River National Park will host a watch party for the partial solar eclipse.
Starting at 2 p.m., the park will hold the event at Lilly Bluff Overlook off Ridge Road. The drive from Knoxville takes around an hour and a half.
After parking, it’s a short 0.3-mile walk to reach the overlook. The park recommends wearing sturdy shoes, sun protection and weather-appropriate clothes.
The park will have a limited number of eclipse glasses and viewing equipment, so bring your eclipse glasses with you!
For more information, call the park at 423-346-6294.
Host your own partial solar eclipse watch party
If you can’t travel or make it to these events, try hosting your own watch party! Anywhere works as long as you can see the sun.
“I think the most special thing about all of my eclipse experiences have been spending it with friends and family. No matter where you are, how you’re observing an eclipse or really experiencing it if it’s a total eclipse, doing it with people that you know and love is a very wonderful shared experience,” UT senior lecturer and astronomy coordinator Sean Lindsay said.
You could host it on your front lawn or your backyard. Or you can visit a park with friends and family to watch the partial solar eclipse. A few notable parks to visit for the eclipse include Ijams Nature Center, Victor Ashe Park, Concord Park, Sequoyah Hills Park, Suttree Landing Park and the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum.
Lindsay suggested watching the shadows from tree leaves during the eclipse, as the light projects mini eclipses. Similarly, he likes to use a colander to project several mini eclipses on the ground.
Lindsay recommends respectfully asking your professors or boss to take a moment to view the partial eclipse when it reaches its maximum coverage at 3:07 p.m. You really don’t want to miss it.
“It’ll be a pretty spectacular event. If you have seen a partial eclipse, then you know how cool these things can be. If you haven’t, then it’s going to rock your world, because it just feels weird. It’s one of the few times you can like just walk outside and interact with the universe in which we live. And you really feel that we’re just on a planet suspended in space because there’s stuff that’s much bigger than us happening around and right in front of us. You can’t ignore it,” Lindsay said.
This story will be updated as more events are scheduled.
Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.
Support strong local journalism by subscribing to knoxnews.com/subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Solar eclipse viewing parties: Where to go in Knoxville