By Jordan Fleisher
CCC Journalism Program
Well, that was disappointing for some of us but it connected us anyway.
On April 8, 2024, North America experienced a solar eclipse. Simply put, a solar eclipse is when the moon’s path momentarily goes in front of the sun, causing darkness and shadows during the day. This solar eclipse made its way from Mexico and reached as far north as Canada.
People all over North America threw parties and communities held large-scale viewing parties in parks to optimize viewing success and to experience a once-in-a-blue-moon type of phenomenon.
That day, you could go onto any news platform and see various gatherings around the country. In one story from Cleveland, people found the event moving and emotional and said they felt “connected” to one another and “connected to the Earth and the universe.” Some news reporters showed emotion watching the event unfold.
One reporter from Cleveland called his mother live on air to experience the phenomenon together. Both started crying. Both said how connected they felt to one another to the Earth and to the universe. The reporter made a point of saying how embarrassing it is to cry on live TV. He also made a point of saying how he did not care because of the magnitude of the moment and how happy he was to experience it all with his mother.
“Any kind of spectacle you can experience with other people is really cool,” said Camden County College student Michael McGuire. “And it could have been anything and I would have loved it because everyone was just together. I’m not typically into astronomy.”
“I think it was a really nice experience. I think the fact we get to experience something like that in the midst of all the, you know, drama in the world, it’s nice, it’s relaxing,” said CCC student Janiya Walton. “I saw some people who were really emotional about it because they shared some type of connection but I think it was just like a natural thing and it was nice to be able to see it and witness it but it wasn’t like that (for me).”
But some people at Camden County College couldn’t get the best view of the eclipse. “Yes, it was very cloudy,” McGuire said.
In most places in New Jersey, viewing the eclipse was nearly impossible because of the weather. It was cloudy all day, until after the eclipse. Almost like the sun waited for everyone to go back inside.
Because an event like this doesn’t happen every year, McGuire said he anticipated the next time a solar eclipse will happen. “I think even if it’s not typically astronomy or a weather event, I think it would just be cool to experience something with other people. I think those are always fun.”
