Astronomical Event
Eclipse parties draw crowds to local gatherings
BUCKHANNON — From coast to coast, Monday’s Great American Solar Eclipse prompted the masses to look up and experience a rare astronomical event.
Whether viewing the eclipse on television, from their own yard or at a viewing party, residents throughout Upshur County and surrounding areas in West Virginia were treated to a partial eclipse that lasted from about 1:10 to 3:57 p.m. At the eclipse’s peak, around 2:37 p.m., the moon blocked about 88 percent of the sun.
Hundreds of students and community members viewed the eclipse at West Virginia Wesleyan College, where student groups handed out 200 “eclipse glasses,” set up telescopes with solar filters and provided supplies and instructions for do-it-yourself pinhole projectors.
“I didn’t expect this many people to come out,” said Kaylee Burdette, a WVWC junior from Cross Lanes involved in the college’s SPACE Club and Physics Club. “I’m happy that this many people are excited about it.”
In addition to those clubs, the college’s Sigma Pi Sigma physics honor society also took part in hosting the viewing party, which took place near Christopher Hall on the WVWC campus in
Buckhannon.
Angela Meyer, a WVWC senior from Elkview, said the viewing celebration had a great turnout — in part because the eclipse coincided with the college’s first day of the fall semester.
“It’s crazy because it’s the first day of classes,” said Meyer, who is studying applied physics and is president of the SPACE Club. “Some classes have been delayed or canceled because of this.”
She added many local community members came out as well, sharing the special viewing glasses and taking part in the celebration.
“I love it,” she said.
One of the freshmen watching the partial eclipse Monday was Amanda Watson, from Pittsburgh, who plans to study criminal justice.
Watson said her father also attended WVWC, and she is excited to get started with college. She said the eclipse party made her first day even more special.
“I like it a lot, and this is really neat that they did this,” she said.
Some of the younger folks in the crowd Monday included sisters Jasmyne and Raelynn Phillips, of Belington, who attended the celebration with their family.
Jasmyne called the partial eclipse “amazing,” and mother Alinor Phillips said she was glad they were able to see the solar event together. She said Jasmyne was especially excited about it.
“She’s my little scientist,” Alinor Phillips said.
• Another viewing party in the area took place at Tygarts Valley Middle/High School in Mill Creek, where about 100 teachers, parents, students and community members gathered to see the solar spectacle. The gathering was organized by science teachers at the school, who were on hand to answer questions and help people learn more about the partial eclipse.
Teacher Scott Ramsey said West Virginia University donated about 50 “eclipse glasses” for the group to use, and the WVU Planetarium shared educational materials.
“We didn’t have enough for everyone,” Ramsey said, noting that was no problem, since many people shared and took turns looking at the sun through the safety lenses or other equipment.
He said students were able to take part in a variety of hands-on educational activities prior to the partial eclipse, such as ways to predict the earth’s size in relation to the sun and the moon, as well as ways to determine how far the earth is from the sun. For example, he said if the sun was the size of a grapefruit, the earth would be about the size of the dot of a marker, and they would be located 18 yards away from one another.
“They were really surprised by that,” he said of students and community members.
Ramsey added teachers and volunteers also helped create pinhole projects, which provide safe ways to watch a shadow of the eclipse.
“We really tried to go all out,” he said. “I think it was a really good chance for the community to come together. … We had a lot of fun with it.”
While West Virginians were able to view the partial eclipse, anyone in the “path of totality” Monday had a chance to experience the total eclipse. States along this path stretched from Oregon to South Carolina.
This type of eclipse is rare — it’s the first total solar eclipse to cross part of the continental United States since Feb. 26, 1979, and it’s the first to cross the country from coast to coast since June 8, 1918, according to information from National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The next solar eclipse that can be seen in the continental United States is predicted to be Oct. 14, 2023, and it will be visible from Northern California to Florida, according to NASA. Following that, a total solar eclipse will take place April 8, 2024, visible from Texas to Maine.