News and Highlights
Events
April 2024: Eclipse Week
Hi, stargazers! Mark your calendars from April 2nd to April 8th because the Astronomy Club has a stellar lineup of events! These events will help you learn more about the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8th. Come and join in on the fun - let's explore the mysteries of the cosmos together!
April 2nd: Solar Eclipse 101 Seminar
Kicking off the Eclipse Week event series, the Astronomy Club is thrilled to announce the Solar Eclipse 101 Seminar on Tuesday featuring esteemed speaker Dr. Alex Young, a distinguished heliophysicist from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The seminar will be held in Knott Hall B03 at 6pm.
April 3rd: Pinhole Camera & Solar Scope Workshop
The Astronomy Club is hosting a Pinhole Camera & Solar Scope Workshop and you're invited! You will learn about using solar scopes and creating pinhole cameras. It's not just about learning cool stuff; it's a chance to hang out and work together to make the upcoming eclipse an unforgettable experience. This event on Wednesday will start at 6 pm. Check The Bridge to follow the Astronomy Club and learn more details about this event.
April 8th: "Hiding The Sun: An Eclipse Tale" Talk
Dr. Ingeborg Heyer, a respected teaching professor in Loyola's Physics department, will be hosting an informative eclipse talk titled "Hiding the Sun: An Eclipse Tale" during Eclipse Week. The event will be held in LND Library on the first floor in the IDEA Space at noon.
April 8th: Solar Eclipse Watch Party
Credit: Karl Magnuson Credit: Great American Eclipse
The Physics department is offering a chance to watch the total solar eclipse on Monday with the provided eclipse glasses. The event will be held from 1 pm to 5 pm on The Quad and Knott Hall B03. In anticipation of unfavorable weather conditions, we have arranged a live viewing of the eclipse from NASA in KH B03.
- Free eclipse glasses will be available for the first 1250 people that show up on the Quad (one per person).
- Additionally, six solar scopes will be set up on the quad for people to take turns observing the sun.
- We will also have pinhole cameras for safe observation of the solar disk.
It is a rare opportunity to experience the magic of astronomy. Come join us!
Recent News
Annular Solar Eclipse Experience at Loyola University Maryland
Eclipse Week began on Loyola University’s Maryland’s campus in celebration of the 2023 annular solar eclipse. Three events took place, all supported by the Astronomy Club, the Physics Club, and the Physics Department. The first event occurred on Monday, October 9th. Members of the Astronomy Club joined together to get a brief overview of solar eclipses and to create pinhole cameras to view the eclipse. Over 20 Loyola students attended this event.
On Wednesday, October 11th, Dr. Alex Young, a heliophysicist from NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Center, came to Loyola’s campus to give a talk about the science behind solar
eclipses. He discussed the differences between annular and total eclipses, when and
where future eclipses will be seen, and many more exciting facts about our sun. Students,
faculty, and people from the community came to listen to Dr. Young’s presentation.
Credit: NASA TV Live
On Saturday, October 14th, starting at 9:30 a.m., Knott Hall B03 was set up as a hub for solar eclipse viewing. Due to poor weather, the Loyola Campus could not view the eclipse directly, but people could watch live streams from different areas of North and South America, which played until 4 p.m. People floated in and out of the room, witnessing annularity multiple times.
Loyola Maryland’s Eclipse Week demonstrated the interest the campus has in astronomy.
The Astronomy Club, the Physics Club, and the Physics Department are looking forward
to the total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024! Watch for more planned eclipse activities
during the week leading up to this event.
