Duke’s World of Energy prepares for total eclipse of the sun

A once-in-a-lifetime cosmic phenomenon is headed upstate South Carolina’s way, and Duke Energy’s World of Energy wants to help the public get ready.  At 10 o’clock Tuesday morning, the World of Energy is hosting a lecture by Clemson University physicist Dr. Donald Liebenberg.  He is considered a top researcher of the science of solar eclipses. The lecture is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.  Liebenberg’s presentation will focus on the history of total solar eclipses; what scientific data has been collected and its implications; and how residents of the upstate can safely view what is being called the Great American Total Solar Eclipse, which takes place on Aug. 21, 2017.  The World of Energy is directly beneath the path, meaning that on that afternoon, a total solar eclipse will be visible for nearly three full minutes.  Liebenberg, an adjunct professor in the Clemson University Department of Physics, has studied direct observations of more than 20 total solar eclipses across the world.  Other events and activities at the World of Energy in 2017 will have the Great American Total Solar Eclipse as its theme, including a quilt show by local artisans who are incorporating the scientific phenomena into their designs.  The World of Energy has books, information pamphlets and decorations highlighting the eclipse.  “For many this is a once-in-lifetime event,” said Chris Rimel, World of Energy manager and communications manager for Duke’s South Carolina nuclear fleet. “The eclipse fits well into the World of Energy’s education mission – we’re inviting people from across the Upstate to watch the eclipse from the World of Energy’s three-acre front lawn; I’m hopeful the lawn will be packed with people watching the sky that afternoon.”