Between 200-250 people came to Cal State San Bernardino on Monday morning, Aug. 21, to get a look (though not directly) at the solar eclipse visible to most of North America as well as central America, the Caribbean and northern South America.
The crowd, consisting of residents from the surrounding communities as well as CSUSB students, faculty and staff, waited in several lines to catch a glimpse of the eclipse through several telescopes equipped with special filters. The telescopes, set up in front of the John M. Pfau Library, were from the university’s physics department and the Murillo Family Observatory.
The observatory also livestreamed the eclipse on its YouTube channel, which had 1,650 page views over the course of the event.
“This is what the (Murillo Family) Observatory, and the astronomy program here and the physics department is all about,” said Leo Connolly, professor emeritus of physics. “This is a beautiful turnout for an event like this, and it does my heart good to see all this and the students volunteering their time to be out here to show everybody. It’s just absolutely marvelous.”
Connolly, who was helping align the telescopes to follow the eclipse for the attendees, said, “You can feel the sun isn’t as bright right now as it should be at 10:10 a.m. You feel the sun is being covered up to some degree.”
Computer science major Brandon Bachman, who works for both the university’s physics department and the Murillo Family Observatory, called the viewing “a great turnout” and the second time he had seen an eclipse.
“The first time I was a freshman and I had no idea about astronomy. It kind of helped me segue way. I took a physics class and went from there,” Bachman said. “Hopefully this does to people what it did for me when I was a freshman.”
Along with the telescopes, the department handed out special protective glasses that blocked the sun. Many of the attendees also made their own filters including pinhole projectors made of sheets of paper, index cards and cereal boxes.
Fontana resident Shelly Boughamer said she came to campus to see the eclipse through the telescopes.
“I think this is awesome. I think everybody should appreciate the eclipse and enjoy the natural things,” Boughamer said.
And folks stood in the shade looking at the tree shadows to see the eclipse.
Sociology professor James Fenelon called the event “fantastic. I love what the university is doing to bring it all together. This is like a moment in time. I love having the observatory and having these telescopes here.”