Students find a variety of vantage points to enjoy eclipse
By Colleen McMenamin
On Monday, April 8th, Ohio Wesleyan students flocked to open areas on campus or downtown Delaware to view the once in a lifetime total solar eclipse. The last time Delaware was situated in the path of eclipse totality was in 1806, over 200 years ago, and this event is not predicted to happen again until 2099.
While many students congested the bleachers of Selby Stadium to watch, some went to the fields at Jay Martin Soccer Complex, and some even left campus to watch from Downtown Delaware, or beyond. Ohio Wesleyan junior, Gabi Dahllof watched from downtown Delaware with a group of friends. She says, “It was such a fun experience with my friends, never experienced anything like it.”
Another student, Quinn Dachisen watched from Fraternity Hill. She says, “It was a cool event to experience with my friends, and I know I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life. I was really grateful that I was able to see it,”
In the weeks leading up to the eclipse, the Ohio Wesleyan administration provided academic resources on safe eclipse viewing and provided free eclipse glasses in the Hamilton Williams Campus Center. On March 28th, Dr. Bob Harmon of the OWU Physics and Astronomy department provided a talk in the Merrick Ballroom titled Breathtaking Beauty in the Shadow of the Moon. This event was free of charge to Ohio Wesleyan students and faculty, as an educational aid.
OWU community gathers to learn about and enjoy eclipse
By Payton Boerner
On April 8, 2024, residents of Ohio were gifted with a total solar eclipse. This is where the moon completely blocks the sun. The last time they saw only a partial eclipse was in 2017, just three years ago. The last time Ohioans saw it reach totality was in 1806, 218 years ago.
The eclipse started in the afternoon, at 1:59 p.m. and reached totality at 3:11 PM. The timing created a lot of traffic as many people were rushing home from work or school or driving elsewhere, to see the show.
Senior Jamison Ellis was talking about how interesting it was to see a sky full of darkness during lunch. “That was the shortest night time I have ever had in my life. I didn’t realize how dark it was going to be during the eclipse.”
The racks were cleared at grocery stores, as everyone was rushing to get their eclipse glasses, which were to be worn by anyone looking at the eclipse, or one may go blind.
Ohio Wesleyan students gathered at Selby Stadium, or outside of their dorms or fraternity houses, put their glasses on, and looked at the sky one would normally only experience at night.
Sophomore Bella Guzzetta shared her experience. “My swim coach was nice enough to get me glasses. I had class during the solar eclipse, but my professor let us out for 30 minutes and it was really cool to experience the short amount of time that the sun went away, and it got dark and cold, and then right after the eclipse it was sunny again.”
Junior Sejal Bhojwani also voiced her “unreal” experience. “My friends and I basically set up a picnic on frat hill and watched it. It was cool to be able to see it in totality, and kind of felt unreal.”
This was an opportunity for Ohio residents to witness a once-in-a-lifetime natural phenomena.
However, there is more to the eclipse other than just regular human satisfaction, it is a scientific experience as well. This created a day for scientists to learn more about the sun and moon. They were able to gather more data during this time to give us a better understanding of the sun.
This created memories for everyone at Ohio Wesleyan University, being able to talk about the eclipse later on in life and say “I was with my friends watching it at Ohio Wesleyan University,” is truly an honor.