The Academy Views 2024 Solar Eclipse
By FORREST ZENG
On Monday, April 8, the Exeter community and beyond experienced a solar eclipse, colloquially known as the Great American Eclipse of 2024.
Solar eclipses occur when the moon blocks the sun during the daytime and become visible when viewed with glasses using powerful filters. Sunlight becomes dimmer, shadows noticeably sharper, and in the path of totality, the sun is concealed by the moon altogether. In Exeter, the phenomenon peaked briefly around 3:30 p.m. at an eclipse percentage of 95 percent, meaning that 95 percent of the sun was blocked by the moon. Students on campus could be seen viewing the eclipse together through eclipse glasses, while some were viewing the eclipse off-campus in regions where the sun was entirely blocked.
“The sun lights up the day all the time,” Astronomy Club co-head Masaki Muneyoshi described. “To have something like that turned around in the middle of the day is crazy—it’s like nighttime during the day.”
“The event, a total solar eclipse, is pretty remarkable in terms of science, geometry, and personal experience,” Director of the Grainger Observatory John Blackwell said. “The Earth-Sun-Moon system is remarkable in that the distances apart and sizes of each object allow the Moon to completely block out the photosphere of the Sun.” Blackwell originally planned on traveling to Texas to view the eclipse, but due to cloudy weather, he viewed the eclipse in Pittsburg, NH.
Upper Niko Todorov, who viewed the eclipse in full totality described how the sun became dimmer as the moon intersected with the sun. “I watched the sun slowly get darker through my glasses,” he said. “Eventually, the sun got entirely blocked by the moon, and I could take off my glasses. When I looked at the sun, I could see a bright outline around the moon. That was cool.”
The bright outline Todorov described seeing was a “corona,” the outer atmosphere of the sun that is typically invisible. The corona is the distinguishing element that makes viewing total eclipses so much more fantastic than viewing partial ones.
Photo Courtesy of J.A. Blackwell
“Total solar eclipses allow us to see the corona, the outermost atmosphere of the Sun,” Blackwell explained. “During times of solar minimum, when the Sun is less active, the corona is minimal in appearance. As we approached solar maximum, the corona was quite widespread and very detailed.”
Astronomy co-head Aavik Wadivkar described, “You could also see tiny spikes of red poking through right behind the Moon, which turned out to be solar prominences - loops of charged particles trapped in magnetic fields dozens of times larger than the Earth.
“The difference between 95 percent totality and complete totality is literally night and day,” Muneyoshi said. “The world turns dark, the stars suddenly appear, and the corona is visible around the moon. It’s an opportunity that we won’t have again for a long time.”
“During this year’s eclipse, there was also a comet right next to the sun, which can only be seen during a solar eclipse,” he added. “That makes this eclipse particularly special.”
Many members of the student body petitioned to miss class to view the eclipse in full totality, but their petitions were originally rejected. “We submitted our petitions a full seven days in advance, but, like many others, they were rejected without explanation,” senior Ariana Thornton said. “The crackdown felt particularly unfair because we had invested so much time, effort, and anticipation in our trip.”
After significant efforts by members of the student body, however, the administration approved several petitions that allowed students to see the eclipse in full effect. “I wrote an email response, created a Change.org petition, and spread it with my friends on Instagram,” Thornton continued. “Two days later, on Friday afternoon, my petition was approved, setting the precedent for the entire school later that day. It was a euphoric moment! I was so thrilled to see such a huge movement around this issue.”
“Astronomy Club specifically had been preparing to view the eclipse in totality for a very long time,” Muneyoshi described. “But to have our petitions originally rejected, then accepted again so late, really messed up our preparation. We wanted to bring much more equipment to photograph and view the eclipse, but we weren’t able to on such a late notice.”
“It was a little hard to put together plans last minute,” Todorov said. “But in the end, it was nice to be able to go at all.”
Although solar eclipses occur fairly often across the world, the next solar eclipse to pass over the contiguous United States will occur in 2044. The rarity of such an occurrence simply amplifies the value of what many perceive as a surreal cosmic experience.
On campus, the administration distributed eclipse glasses to students on the day of the eclipse and made minor changes to the schedule to support viewing of the eclipse during sports blocks. Although Exeter was not in the path of totality, students were fascinated by the cosmic phenomenon, congregating in the afternoon to view the eclipse together.
“A lot of people haven’t had the chance to view an eclipse,” Muneyoshi described. “So, even though Exeter isn’t in the path of totality, it’s still an amazing experience.”
“Total solar eclipses allow us to see the corona, the outermost atmosphere of the Sun,” Blackwell explained. “During times of solar minimum, when the Sun is less active, the corona is minimal in appearance. As we approached solar maximum, the corona was quite widespread and very detailed.”
“The difference between 95 percent totality and complete totality is literally night and day,” Muneyoshi said. “The world turns dark, the stars suddenly appear, and the corona is visible around the moon. It’s an opportunity that we won’t have again for a long time.”
“During this year’s eclipse, there was also a comet right next to the sun, which can only be seen during a solar eclipse,” he added. “That makes this eclipse particularly special.”
Many members of the student body petitioned to miss class to view the eclipse in full totality, but their petitions were originally rejected. After significant efforts by members of the student body, however, the administration approved 91 petitions that allowed students to see the eclipse in full effect. Some members of the community were disappointed with the administration’s late response.
Students look up at the eclipse, accompanied by Principal Rawson Photo Courtesy of @phillipsexeter
“Astronomy Club specifically had been preparing to view the eclipse in totality for a very long time,” Muneyoshi said. “But to have our petitions originally rejected, then accepted again so late, really messed up our preparation. We wanted to bring much more equipment to photograph and view the eclipse, but we weren’t able to on such a late notice.”
“It was a little hard to put together plans last minute,” Todorov said. “But in the end, it was nice to be able to go at all.”
Although solar eclipses occur fairly often across the world, the next solar eclipse to pass over the contiguous United States will occur in 2044. The rarity of such an occurrence simply amplifies the value of what many perceive as a surreal cosmic experience.
On campus, the administration distributed eclipse glasses and moon pies to students on the day of the eclipse and made minor changes to the schedule to support viewing of the eclipse during sports blocks. Although Exeter was not in the path of totality, students were fascinated by the cosmic phenomenon, congregating in the afternoon to view the eclipse together.
“A lot of people haven’t had the chance to view an eclipse,” Muneyoshi said. “So, even though Exeter isn’t in the path of totality, it’s still an amazing experience.”
