(USDA Forest Service)

Adler Planetarium is ready to party like it’s 1925.

That’s the last time Chicago experienced a solar eclipse like it will Aug. 21, when starting at 11:54 a.m., the moon will start to block our view of the sun, covering up to 87 percent of it by early afternoon.

The event will mark the first solar eclipse visible in parts of the U.S. since 1979. The last time Chicago was this close to the path of totality – the path of the moon’s shadow as it moves across Earth – was 92 years ago.

To celebrate, Adler is hosting a daylong block party that includes free admission to its exhibitions, including the planetarium’s new“Chasing Eclipses”exhibit that prepares visitors to experience an eclipse.

Chicago’s Eclipse Fest runs from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Adler grounds and in the adjacent parking lot. Guests will get “#EquippedToEclipse” with free safe solar viewing glasses, according to the planetarium, and can also enjoy live entertainment, hands-on science experiments, eclipse trivia and other activities.

Inside the planetarium’s dome theaters, visitors will be able to view the solar eclipse on a live feed from locations that are in the path of totality, where the eclipse is most notable.

Those who can’t make it to the planetarium during the eclipse can stop by a viewing station set up by Adler at Daley Plaza, where staff will distribute the solar viewing glasses and answer questions about the eclipse.

Check Adler’s website for more info about its eclipse-day programming.

Follow Alex Ruppenthal on Twitter:@arupp

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