On April 8, 2024 Oxford High School students stepped out of their typical fourth block classes to observe a solar eclipse. This was the last total solar eclipse to happen until the year 2044. Solar eclipses are caused when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun’s light from some areas. There are between two and five solar eclipses each year with a total eclipse happening sporadically certain years and only being visible from certain locations.
While the totality of this particular solar eclipse was not visible from Oxford, Miss., OHS junior, Alex Ritchie, and her family traveled to a local park in Arkansas to see the full totality of this eclipse.
“We went to a local park in Arkansas to see the eclipse,” Ritchie said. “It was quite crowded, many families came and brought their kids to see the eclipse.”
This is not the first solar eclipse that Ritchie’s family has traveled to see together.
“My family has traveled to see a couple of total eclipses, including the one in 2017,” Ritchie said. “It has been something that my family has enjoyed doing together.”
Ritchie’s family went to Arkansas quite prepared for this event. Ritchie’s father even captured the full totality of the eclipse on camera.
“My dad likes to take photos,” Ritchie said. “He has a lot of photography equipment, including cameras that he has solar filters for, so that he can take pictures of the eclipse. We had a wide array of equipment including cameras, glasses, binoculars, and a telescope that would all be used to safely watch the eclipse.
Safety is an integral part of eclipse-watching. Protective eyewear was distributed to all students by the OHS administration to prevent eye damage while viewing the eclipse. Even a few seconds of viewing the sun during an eclipse can temporarily or permanently burn part of the retina. Because students took this precaution, they were able to take in and reflect on the marvelousness of such a scientifically historic event.
“I think this was an extremely significant event,” Ritchie said. “It is only so often that eclipses happen, espically when they happen close enough that you can drive a few hours to experience totality. It was really cool to experience the eclipse with everyone at the park. When it first got dark outside, everyone started cheering. It was really cool to get to see everyone’s reactions to the eclipse.”
Not only did the eclipse promote a sense of camaraderie with the Ritchie’s, but amongst the students of OHS as well. Senior Graham Sherman had a particularly meaningful experience viewing the eclipse.
“Going outside to watch the eclipse my senior year was a super cool experience,” Sherman said. “It was really a full circle moment for me as the last eclipse we watched together as a grade happened right before middle school.”
Taking time out of the school day to watch this eclipse was a decision that was supported by a great deal of OHS students. Many were captivated by just how extroadinary this event was.
“I’m really glad that I went,” Ritchie said. “I think that when it is so close, it is totally worth seeing. It is so cool to get to gradually feel the temperature drop and it get dimmer outside, and then for it to look like night and get to see the planets come out in the middle of the day. The last time I saw a total eclipse was in 2017, an I didn’t remember all of these details, so I was really glad that I got to experience another total solar eclipse.”
