A solar eclipse does not happen everyday. On Monday millions of people viewed the solar eclipse throughout the contiguous U.S. Penn State Behrend, although not in the path of totality, hosted an event. The eclipse happened to fall on the first day of classes, so students were able to view the eclipse safely with the help of the Yahn Planetarium. Many professors delayed, cancelled, or let their classes leave early in order to see the eclipse.

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“These phenomena, the motion of the moon and the motion of the sun, lights and shadows, are happening all the time around us,” Darren Williams, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, said. “Very few people are paying attention to it and today it is just a coincidence that the two line up.”

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A solar eclipse is when the new moon, which is usually not seen, travels directly in front of the sun. The total eclipse traveled across the entire U.S. in less than two hours, in some places only lasting two minutes, but the partial eclipse lasted several hours. During the eclipse it was unsafe to look directly at the sun, except during the brief totality phase. The light coming from the sun during the eclipse is not brighter than normal, but people tend to stare at the sun longer during the eclipse than they would otherwise. This can cause temporary or permanent damage to the retina, which can result in impaired vision or legal blindness. One hundred pairs of eclipse glasses were handed out at the event on campus so people could safely view the partially eclipsed sun. The School of Science also handed out pieces of papers with holes in them that would reflect the shape of the eclipse onto another piece of paper.

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“Unfortunately we are not going to be within the path of totality, but we will see about a 75 percent overlap,” said Jesse Hawley, a senior Physics major. Hawley has spent extensive time in the planetarium and learning about astronomy.

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The path of the eclipse went diagonally across the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. People all over the country flocked the areas where there was a total eclipse. Williams estimated that about 1,000 people attended the event at Behrend. This created some issues with parking and getting onto campus.

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Behrend has its own set of telescopes that are used frequently by staff and students. The Yahn Planetarium is also regularly utilized by the university and people in the community. The director of the planetarium was observing the total solar eclipse in Kentucky. His video was played in the planetarium.

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“Over one thousand years or longer, every area on the planet will see a total solar eclipse, but on a human timescale, significant eclipses only happen every 20 years or so,” explained Williams. The next solar eclipse in the U.S. will occur in April of 2024, and Erie will be in the path of totality.