The Great American Eclipse

Almost every 18 months, a total solar eclipse is visible to some part of the world. On August 21, over 200 million people in the United States gathered to watch the Great American Eclipse. It was the first total eclipse visible in the United States since 1994.

West Virginia had the chance to see up to 90 percent coverage during the eclipse. To help the community view the eclipse safely, West Virginia University’s Planetarium and Observatory hosted a pre-eclipse event. The WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy and WVU Extension Service collaborated with the Green Bank observatory and the West Virginia Space Grant Consortium to create the "Bringing the Great American Eclipse to West Virginia" project, reaching more than 50,000 students, teachers, schools and community members statewide.

“We really wanted to take the approach of preparing people, to give them the safe glasses that they need, so they can experience this with their families,” said Kathryn Williamson, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and director of the WVU Planetarium. “I hope that people remember this for the rest of their lives and that it sparks their desire to be a scientist or just have an interest in science and our world.”

In preparation for the eclipse, WVU faculty provided online training for teachers, hosted eclipse science experiments through WVU Extension and 4-H and visited schools. In more than 40 West Virginia counties, 10,000 youth at WVU 4-H camps participated in solar eclipse experiments. Thanks to the financial support from 25 donors who raised $2,146, over 30,000 eclipse glasses were distributed across the state so that residents could view the eclipse safely.

“It was a natural phenomenon that inspired that wonderment of the universe,” Williamson said. “It was a chance for us to all learn and observe the universe together.”

By the numbers

• 25 donors raised...
• $2,146 to purchase eclipse glasses
• 10,000 youth participated in solar eclipse experiments at WVU 4-H camps in...
• 40 West Virginia counties
• Over 30,000 safe viewing eclipse glasses distributed
• Over 1,000 individuals attended the pre-eclipse event on the Morgantown campus