The solar eclipse occurred on Monday April 8, 2024. When asking some students to explain what the solar eclipse was in their own words Stellah Carter (freshman) said, “It’s when the Moon goes between the Sun and the Earth, and the sun looks black.” Lots of students were confused by if the Sun blocks the Moon’s view or if the Moon blocks the Sun’s view. A solar eclipse is when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and can obscure the view of the Sun from the Earth. In Mexico, fifteen U.S. states and the eastern part of Canada, the Sun was fully obscured from view. The rest of the U.S. states witnessed a partial eclipse.
Lots of conspiracy theories were created on the internet that told people that the world would end because of the solar eclipse. Many people thought that the solar eclipse was a “sign” of the world ending. Maddie Yudman (freshman) explained, “I heard that the cellphone range was going to be really out and that you need to stay stocked on food and water because people thought the world was going to blow up.” This is because one day in the future, Earth will experience one last total Solar Eclipse. Because the Moon is slowly drifting away from the Earth, one day the Moon will be too small to cover the Sun’s light. So, the world thought that this was the last total solar eclipse Earth would experience.
Some students at Rocky were brave enough to witness the solar eclipse even with all the conspiracy theories in the media. Laura Proudfoot (freshman) said, “My family all bought the glasses to use, and I was super excited to look. I put on my glasses, and it was just so amazing to see how it was still bright outside but when you looked it was still dark because the Moon was covering the Sun.” When a solar eclipse occurs, the sun emits harmful UV rays that can damage your eyes when looking directly at it. People who watched the solar eclipse needed to use special glasses that are designed to block out most of the sun’s light, including the harmful UV rays. The glasses helped people witness the solar eclipse without fearing the eclipse would cause eye damage. Proudfoot added, “I thought I was going to go blind, but I didn’t look at the sun without my glasses, the glasses helped, and it really showed the effect of the eclipse.”
The solar eclipse was a tangible reminder of how the Earth, Moon, and Sun interact with each other. Despite the conspiracy theories and misinformation, the event proved to be an educational opportunity. Many schools even let their students watch the solar eclipse during school hours. And for many students at Rocky, this eclipse was not just a rare astronomical event; it was a moment of excitement and learning. “I think this was such a special day for everyone, honestly.”
