Campus unites during eclipse

On April 8, 2024, the Great North American Eclipse captivated hundreds of starry-eyed Eastern Connecticut State University students on Webb Lawn as the sun and moon merged at 3 p.m.

"This is awesome, I've never seen Eastern look this busy before," said history major Delaney Kudron, referring to the constellation of people lining up outside of the J. Eugene Smith Library in hopes of acquiring solar eclipse glasses, which were being distributed on the first floor.

Astronomy Professor Zoran Pazameta explained the rarity of a solar eclipse: "The two possible types of eclipses (solar and lunar) need three bodies - the Sun, Earth and Moon - to line up perfectly in space, both vertically and horizontally."

During a solar eclipse, he explained, "The Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, blocking our view of the Sun's disk and casting a shadow on the Earth. This shadow is small and travels on the ground as Earth rotates and the Moon orbits, so you have to be in the right place at the right time to see a total solar eclipse."

The eclipse wasn't the only source of entertainment that afternoon. While some students waited in line for glasses, others dueled with foam swords. Meanwhile, several others wore tin foil hats to ward off any intergalactic threats that may have evaded detection while the eclipse was happening. Another student was kind enough to inform the crowd through an eloquent speech that "the end is nigh."

Despite the fact that the library's supply of glasses was depleted within minutes, Eastern students happily shared the glasses amongst themselves, and many commented that the event served as a great way to reconnect with peers and inspire new phases of friendship.

"I didn't plan on staying long for the event but I'm glad that I did," said senior Sam Lopez. "It was nice to see a lot of the students and some of my friends gather out on the lawn, and it was even cooler to witness an awesome universal phenomenon."