On October 2nd, 2024, Hawaii witnessed a partial solar eclipse, which started at sunrise and ended at 7:57 am. To observe this astonishing phenomenon, Ms. Coke, who teaches Research Experiences in Science in the academy, brought solar viewing glasses, and a student of the Research Experiences in Science class, Elizabeth “Liz” Chee ‘26, brought a telescope with a solar filter.
According to NASA, a solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes in front of the Sun (or when Earth, the Sun, and the Moon align) blocking out the Sun fully, annually, or partially. This creates a shadow on Earth.
On October 2nd, there were two main parts of the shadow cast during the eclipse. One includes the antumbra, where the Moon covered the central part of the Sun, leaving a ring of sunlight around it. The other is the penumbra, the fainter, outer shadow. If you are located in the antumbra, one can view what is called a “ring of fire.” This phenomenon occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun while at its farthest point from Earth. Since the Moon is farther from Earth, it appears smaller in the sky, meaning it can’t completely cover the Sun. This partial covering creates a visible ring of sunlight around the Moon (NASA). However, the shadow is relatively small on Earth, roughly 60 miles wide near the equator, so not many can see it, as said by timeanddate. On the other hand, those located within the penumbra shadow can view a partial eclipse. A penumbra shadow can extend for thousands of miles across the Earth’s surface, granting many the opportunity to view a partial solar eclipse.
This is what many were able to witness in Hawaii. Timeanddate found that the Moon blocked the Sun partially with its peak at 6:45 am blocking 0.580 magnitude (or in other words, the fraction of the Sun that is covered was about 45% in Honolulu). After interviewing Ms. Coke, Liz, and Mrs. Clarke, I have gathered the community’s reaction to the rarity. To prepare the day before, Ms. Coke figured out where the solar eclipse would happen using Stellarium. Afterwards, she walked around campus to work out where the best viewing spot would be. On the day off, Mrs. Coke also brought solar viewing glasses, and Liz brought and set up a telescope.
Furthermore, a couple of dedicated students (from past and current astronomy classes) and faculty arrived bright and early, arriving at 6:30 am. Throughout the morning, students and faculty passing by stopped to see what was happening. Initially, most didn’t know about the eclipse, but once they saw the setup, they stayed to take in the experience.
Later in the morning, students from Kosasa began to slowly trickle in. Ms. Coke garnered excitement for the solar eclipse by passing out solar viewing glasses to curious students. When they put on the glasses, most paused to soak in the spectacle before moving on to view the eclipse through the telescope. Liz, who was monitoring the telescope, noted how interesting it was to see everyone’s reactions and remarked that no one left unimpressed.
Faculty members also took a break from their busy schedules to experience the event. One of these faculty members, Mrs. Clark, was present from the beginning. After answering a few questions, she mentioned that it had been a long time since she’d seen a solar eclipse. The last time she did, it was projected using an “eclipse box,” or a pinhole projector; however, this time, after viewing the eclipse through the glasses, she was astonished. She was especially captivated by the crescent-shaped shadows from a nearby tree, which were reflected onto Castle Hall.
As the morning continued, more middle school students arrived in groups, eager to snap photos with their phones and tablets, crowding to capture the perfect shot through the telescope or solar viewing glasses. A sense of excitement filled the crowd. Everyone hoped to see something extraordinary. The sunlight’s luminosity didn’t change significantly as the Moon passed in front of the Sun, so without the glasses or telescope, it would have been hard to tell what was happening.
The lingering excitement of the solar eclipse was apparent. Many people appreciated the opportunity to witness something that people centuries ago could also see. The wonders of the night sky connect people not just in the present but also through time. Liz related to this by mentioning how school can be stressful at times and the days can start bleeding together; however, with these interesting cosmological occurrences, one has something to look forward to. It reminds us that we are human beings on Earth, yet we are made out of star materials and we can appreciate our origins. Not only are we special to have a Moon that appears the same size as the Sun when viewed from Earth* but also a community eager to view these spectacles.
Punahou students and faculty weren’t the only ones privileged enough to view this phenomenon. Due to the Earth constantly rotating as the Moon orbits our planet, the shadow created from the eclipse travels along the surface, drawing a curved path around the globe. This is called the eclipse path. Timeanddate writes that around 3.08% of the world’s population was located in this eclipse path and was able to witness at least a partial eclipse. Within the eclipse path, there was a section where observers saw the “Ring of Fire,” where the Moon was framed by a bright outer ring of the Sun. This path went through Chile and Argentina.
So make sure to look out for future astronomical activities as what you see today was also seen centuries ago!
Further: In a total eclipse, the Moon completely blocks out the sun. Even though the sun is approximately 400 times larger than the Moon, it is also about 400 times farther away from Earth; which makes both celestial objects roughly the same size in our sky. (NASA)