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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, On August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be | ||||||
| 3 | visible from the west coast to the east coast of the | ||||||
| 4 | continental United States; and
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| 5 | WHEREAS, This will be the first total solar eclipse visible | ||||||
| 6 | in the continental U.S. since February 26, 1979, over 37 years | ||||||
| 7 | ago; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, The extent of the eclipse across the U.S. will | ||||||
| 9 | provide a new generation with the opportunity to view this | ||||||
| 10 | amazing and exciting celestial event, when the sky grows dark | ||||||
| 11 | and the Sun's corona (the usually unseen "crown" around the | ||||||
| 12 | Sun) shines as bright as the full Moon; Mercury, Venus, Mars, | ||||||
| 13 | Jupiter, and several bright stars become visible, the | ||||||
| 14 | temperature drops, and animals become eerily quiet; and
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| 15 | WHEREAS, The entire great State of Illinois will experience | ||||||
| 16 | at least a partial eclipse, with at least 85% of the Sun's disk | ||||||
| 17 | blocked by the Moon, so that Illinoisans unable to experience | ||||||
| 18 | totality can still observe evidence of this event; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, The 2017 solar eclipse will likely be seen by more | ||||||
| 20 | people than any other eclipse in history; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, The University of Illinois Department of | ||||||
| 2 | Astronomy, the only public astronomy department in the State, | ||||||
| 3 | is a leading institution in the study of gravitational lensing, | ||||||
| 4 | predicted by Albert Einstein and first observed during a total | ||||||
| 5 | solar eclipse in 1919, thereby confirming Einstein's Theory of | ||||||
| 6 | General Relativity; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, The year 2017 will mark the sesquicentennial | ||||||
| 8 | anniversary of the founding of the University of Illinois in | ||||||
| 9 | 1867; and | ||||||
| 10 | WHEREAS, The University of Illinois Department of | ||||||
| 11 | Astronomy is hosting an eclipse viewing event in partnership | ||||||
| 12 | with the Village of Goreville, one of the closest towns to the | ||||||
| 13 | greatest duration; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, The Southern Illinois University Department of | ||||||
| 15 | Physics is hosting an eclipse viewing event in Carbondale; and
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| 16 | WHEREAS, Many other communities along the path of the total | ||||||
| 17 | solar eclipse will be hosting events for Illinoisans, and | ||||||
| 18 | out-of-state visitors, both domestic and international; and
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| 19 | WHEREAS, In 2024, another total solar eclipse will be | ||||||
| 20 | visible from Southern Illinois; therefore, be it
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| 1 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 2 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 3 | recognize Southern Illinois as the best place on Earth to view | ||||||
| 4 | the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, and prepare for the | ||||||
| 5 | 2024 eclipse, and we commend the University of Illinois | ||||||
| 6 | Department of Astronomy for their research and for preparing | ||||||
| 7 | the people of Illinois for this historic event; and be it | ||||||
| 8 | further
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| 9 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 10 | presented to the University of Illinois Department of | ||||||
| 11 | Astronomy, the Southern Illinois University Department of | ||||||
| 12 | Physics, and the Astronomical Association of Southern | ||||||
| 13 | Illinois.
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