On Monday April 8th, Bryn Mawr students gathered on Merion Green with picnic blankets and snacks to watch the solar eclipse that marked the first total solar eclipse to visible in the United States since 2017. Bryn Mawr’s admin had organized and publicized the event the week prior and set up tables across Merion green with snacks, drinks and embroidery kits as well as eclipse viewing glasses.
The eclipse happened to be on the same day that admitted students for the class of 2028 were visiting campus. They also gathered on the grass with parents and tour guides to view the celestial event that is said won’t happen again for another 20 years.
Alongside eclipse viewing glasses, students were given mini embroidery sets that came with patterns of astrology constellations as well as an embroidery hoop and thread that students completed throughout the event. Drinks and snacks were also available to the community and many students laid out picnic blankets with friends to enjoy the event comfortably.
Though North West PA was in the path of total visibility, Philadelphia only had partial visibility with the Bryn Mawr community specifically able to see the eclipse at about 90% coverage. However, students and staff still gathered excitedly to see the event with friends, many of them taking a break in the middle of classes. Though the clouds covered much of the event, when the eclipse reached its peak at 3:23pm, everyone held up their phones and eclipse viewing glasses to see the sun’s shadow behind the total coverage of the moon for just a brief moment.
According to NASA, the next solar eclipse visible from the United States will occur on August 23rd 2044. Perhaps the viewing tradition on Merion Green will continue in 20 years time!
