Oct 14, 2023: Rained out of a partial solar eclipse

Michael Richmond
Oct 16, 2023

Just after noon on Sat, Oct 14, Rochester was scheduled to see a partial solar eclipse. Only about 25% of the solar disk would be covered, but we figured this would be a good chance to prepare people in the area for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. We arranged for astronomers to be ready to talk with the public at two locations:

• Michael Richmond waited at the RIT Observatory, in case any people who might have heard of the event stopped to see it
• Near the field house, on the main campus, stood a giant pair of eclipse glasses loaned to us by the Rochester Museum and Science Center

  
  Click on the image to embiggen

Alas, the weather was terrible: cloudy all morning and raining in the afternoon, during the eclipse. No one came to the Observatory.

But that didn't stop Sophia Sosa-Fiscella, one of our AST grad students who volunteered to stand near the giant glasses and explain them to visitors. She spoke to passers-by and spread the word about next year's eclipse for two soggy hours.

Click on the image to embiggen

Thanks, Sophia!