The Great American Solar Eclipse is now over. Athens residents and people around the state joined millions across the country for the first total eclipse we’ve had in nearly a century. Organizers held an eclipse ‘blackout’ in Sanford Stadium and provided free certified eclipse glasses for the first ten thousand guests. Early estimates show the turnout was much larger.
Members of the UGA women’s basketball team, including sophomore, Stephanie Paul, helped to hand out eclipse glasses to attendees.
“It’s really cool we got to come out here and pass out some glasses to the people that came. And we just get to look at the sun and the moon covering it. I’ve never seen something like this before so it’s really fun to be out here with my teammates,” said Paul.
UGA student Becca Paulk was also among those taking in the sights.
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect and I wasn’t all that excited for it, but being out here is pretty cool,” said Paulk.
Sierra Bryan was carrying on a family tradition.
“I think it’s pretty cool because my mom experienced it when she was in high school, so now I get to do the same even though I’m in college,” Bryan said.
As the moon got closer to covering the sun, shadows fell across the football field at Sanford. Saleen Martin, a UGA graduate student, was paying close attention to the light change.
“It looks like an Instagram filter, the lighting is really really low, it’s kind of freaking me out,” said Martin.
Leading up to the eclipse, UGA professors and event organizers John Knox and Marshall Shepherd shouted out eclipse trivia and played eclipse-related songs, while the Jumbotron showed images of the eclipse happening around the world. Shepherd says this was a chance to turn a real-world event into a learning experience.
“One of the things that me and my colleagues often do is try to leverage real-world events, and what better way than to take the Great American Solar Eclipse, teach about science, weather, astronomy, and physics and so that’s what we’ve done here and the Athens, UGA and state of Georgia community has responded,” said Shepherd.
Around 2:38 p.m. when 99 percent totality was reached, viewers put on their eclipse glasses and stared straight up to watch the sun’s transformation.
The next total eclipse in Athens will happen in 2078. The last total eclipse that crossed from Washington State to Florida was June 1918.
