Eclipse Watchers Drawn to Solar Spectacle
On April 8, 2024, the moon covered the sun for a total of 4 minutes and 28 seconds, inspiring many from all over the world to travel to states in the East Coast to witness complete darkness during the daytime. This eclipse in particular, also known as a total solar eclipse, is characterized by its rarity, as another total eclipse will not appear again over the continental US until 2044. As rare as this eclipse is, what makes people so interested in it? What motivates people to travel across the country or world just to witness a four-minute event? Can any lessons be drawn from events like these?
Adam Thorman, fine arts department chair, shared his inspiration to go see the eclipse. “I’ve heard from other people that experiencing the totality is an experience unlike anything else. It’s primal, it’s beautiful, it’s otherworldly. And these descriptions seemed like a peak kind of natural world experience to have,” Adam said.
Twelfth grader Alexander Choi, a student passionate about space, but who did not travel to see the eclipse, even believes that one does not have to be inspired to see it. “Even for people who aren’t super interested in space or science, the solar eclipse is something super attractive. It’s like something literally in the sky for everybody to see,” Alexander said.
Adam vividly describes his experience of the solar eclipse in its totality. “My wife burst into tears. My heart was racing. I’ve been describing it to people as a primal animal reaction. We all stood there and watched the moon move across the sun, and we knew it would appear again. But when it gets dark in the middle of the day, and you look up and instead of a sun, there’s a black circle with this glowing corona around it, it makes your body panic, which doesn’t feel right. We’re so used to being in the middle of the day, with the sun being out,” Adam said. “For me, I had a physical reaction that I was not in control of. Despite this, I was still full of awe and wonder. I felt sublime, beauty, and terror in equal amounts. It was amazing.”
Twelfth grader Clare Middlemiss also shared her perspective on when the eclipse reached its totality. “I think it is an amazing thing to witness if you have the chance. For me personally, I wouldn't say that it's a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience. It's just a pretty cool thing to observe in real time,” Clare said. “The photos and videos don't really do it justice. I remember it getting darker and darker until finally reaching totality. Seeing everyone around me gasp and stare at the sky was pretty exciting.”
Alongside the shared emotions of excitement and awe, a sense of community gathering and unity was also felt.
Adam shared what he saw while looking at the crowd around him in Texas. “While I was watching the eclipse in Dallas, I just noticed that I was surrounded by people from all over the country. There was a couple sitting right behind me from Mexico City, who recently got engaged. I’m sure we had different politics and different opinions on things, but none of that mattered. We all experienced this thing together, and I think that anything we are able to experience all together as a larger society and world brings us together,” Adam said.
“I never really thought about how they could bring people together, which is a nice aspect about them. Just getting people into a new situation that they can truly appreciate,” Alexander said. “Another value I see in solar eclipses is its ability to allow people to really appreciate science. I’ve loved space my entire life and seeing people come together to appreciate this event is just something fascinating to behold.”
“In a world where so many things pull us apart, the experience of something like an eclipse just brings everyone together,” Adam said.
