‘What we experienced at UTA was cosmic art’
It lived up to the hype.
The clouds parted, the temperature dropped and the moon perfectly blocked out all but the sun’s corona, allowing thousands of Mavericks and thousands of visitors to The University of Texas at Arlington campus to enjoy a breathtaking four-minute view of a total solar eclipse.
Planets and stars were clearly visible in the April 8 afternoon skies, which went mostly dark for nearly four minutes. Students, faculty, staff and visitors gathered outside the Planetarium, Central Library and in Brazos Park to gaze skyward, their eyes protected with solar eclipse glasses.
“What we experienced at UTA was cosmic art,” said Levent Gurdemir, UTA Planetarium director. “It really exceeded expectations.”
The partial eclipse started at 12:22 p.m. and ended at 3:02 p.m., with the totality lasting from 1:40 p.m. to nearly 1:44 p.m. UTA alumna Faith Nibbs (’06), an Arlington resident, sat in front of the UTA Planetarium in brand-new zero gravity chairs she bought just for the event. She said UTA was the place to be to watch the eclipse.
“I came here today because we have world-class professors and a world-class planetarium,” Nibbs said. “What better place to see the solar eclipse than in an educational setting?”
UTA canceled classes from 1-2 p.m. so students, faculty and staff could enjoy the event alongside campus visitors from Arlington and beyond. The party and campus gathering—dubbed the Solar-bration—included food trucks, music, an audio program featuring eclipse experts from UTA’s faculty, and more. UTA employees handed out free eclipse glasses and snacks, including Moon Pies and SunChips.
Cody Domaille flew in from Minnesota this weekend with his daughter to witness the total solar eclipse. He said he came to Arlington after researching the best place in the United States to view the phenomenon. Once he heard about UTA’s Solar-bration, he decided to watch from campus.
“We love astrophysics and astronomy, so I figured once we had this chance, we had to come here,” Domaille said.
UTA alumnus James Willrich (’93) from Grand Prairie said he had been looking forward to the eclipse for a long time. He attended the eclipse show at the UTA Planetarium the night before and scoped out the spot from which he would watch the eclipse.
This is a rare opportunity, and I don't think I'll be around the next time,” Willrich said. “I’ve seen a partial eclipse here maybe a year or two ago, but never a total, so this really is a once-in-a-lifetime event.”
Jock Bethune, who has been living in North Texas since 1968, got a double dose of unique UTA experiences. The night before the eclipse, he visited the UTA Observatory for a stargazing event. He returned the next day to witness the eclipse so he could listen to faculty experts on UTA Radio add context to what he was watching.
“I wanted to come here to hear from the professionals,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the specter of overcast skies lent an air of uncertainty to the event. With minutes to go before the total solar eclipse was to begin, a series of clouds concealed the sun. Thousands started booing. But minutes later when the clouds blew north, the cheers and shouts began. The skies were clear; the view was perfect.
“The clouds added so much drama to the spectacle,” said Jessica Bridges, director of editorial services at UTA.
