Partial Solar Eclipse At Frosty Drew Observatory

When: Wednesday, August 12, 2026 from 11 am to 3 pm
Where: Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center in Ninigret Park
Cost: $5 per person over 4 years of age

On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, the Northeast US and Canada will experience a fabulous partial eclipse of the Sun. Stretching from Montana, across the north latitude states, and all of Canada, the Moon will eclipse the Sun. Depending on your viewing location a growing chunk of the Sun will become obscured by the Moon. Extreme northern Canada will experience a total solar eclipse. Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center will be open in celebration of this spectacular event!

Starting at 11:00 a.m. the Frosty Drew campus will be buzzing with solar activity. Solar telescopes in both white light and hydrogen alpha will be set up for observers to catch a view of the solar photosphere and chromosphere, including views of sunspots, prominence, and filaments on the Sun. Frosty Drew staff will have solar projectors set up showcasing projected views of the Sun as well as eclipse shades on hand for safe observing of the solar photosphere*. The solar eclipse starts at 1:04 p.m. ET and will continue until 2:45 p.m. ET with maximum eclipse occurring at 1:55 p.m. ET when the Moon eclipses 13.48% of the Sun over our location. Unfortunately, Charlestown is not along the path of the total eclipse. But we will experience a partial solar eclipse.

Tickets are required for visitors to attend this event. Tickets cost $5 per person over the age of 4. Children 4 years of age and younger are admitted for free. Each ticket will come with a pair of eclipse glasses, that the ticket holder can keep, as well as access to the Observatory Courtyard where they will have several solar telescopes available for observation, the Sky Theatre which will be showing on-screen features about the Sun, the Science Center, which will host a live streamed view of the Sun from a telescope, and the Observatory dome, which will also host an onscreen live stream of the eclipse from a telescope. Please review and understand Frosty Drew’s Cancellation Policy before purchasing tickets.

Viewing the eclipse will be a fantastically memorable experience, but safety is paramount to forming a lasting positive memory, instead of a lasting vision impairment! Read about Safely Observing The Solar Eclipse. Additionally, you may have old eclipse glasses sitting around from a previous solar eclipse or solar event. These old glasses may still be usable. To confirm if your old glasses are safe to use check out the Frosty Drew YouTube on testing eclipse glasses.

This is a fantastic event that is certainly not to be missed! So set your sights to Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center for a fabulous autumn Saturday under a solar eclipse and become acquainted with that astro geek just waiting to break free.

* Note: Frosty Drew will have a limited supply of Eclipse Glasses available for visitors to use. Eclipse Glasses will also be available for purchase for those interested in owning a pair.

The banner image is a photo of part of the crowd at Frosty Drew for the 2017 solar eclipse. All information in the post from Frosty Drew Observatory and Science Center.