students on West Quad watch the eclipse

Watching the Day Go (Mostly) Dark

Watching the Day Go (Mostly) Dark

Monday was a day of awe for the Duke community.

At 3:15 p.m., crowds on the Bryan Center Plaza and at Duke Gardens spontaneously broke out in applause at the moment of peak solar eclipse in Durham. With the sun’s power partially blocked by the moon, shadows became crescents and the daylight looked filtered. Special eclipse glasses that filtered dangerous ultraviolet rays were a precious commodity, but across campus, community members shared theirs so others could watch the rare and remarkable event.

Watching the eclipse on West Campus.
Watching the eclipse on West Campus.

The eclipse reached around 75% of totality at its peak in Durham. For those who didn’t have eclipse glasses, watching the crescents on the ground gave an outstanding account of the event.

The Duke community gathered across the campus, but most prominently in Duke Gardens, on several West Campus Quads and along the Bryan Center Plaza, where a student group known as Stargazing Devils Astronomy Club held an eclipse celebration.

Photos and video by Jared Lazarus and Bryan Reklis, University Communications and Marketing

Benjamin N. Duke is ready for the eclipse!
Benjamin N. Duke is ready for the eclipse!

PICTURING TOTALITY ...
Many employees and students became “eclipse tourists” and headed to Ohio and other states to experience a total solar eclipse. It won’t happen again in the United States for 20 years. Right is a photo taken in Ohio of the total eclipse by sophomore Jake Wolfram, vice president of the Stargazing Devils Astronomy Club. Below, a photo from Silver Creek, N.Y., by Bill Snead of University Communications and Marketing.

total eclipse, 2024, from the Duke astronomy club