Clouds may have congested the view of Monday’s solar eclipse from campus — but they did not dampen the spirits of the Penn community, which gathered by the thousands on College Green and beyond to celebrate the spectacle over shared viewing glasses, Moon Pies, and astronaut ice cream.
While Philadelphia was expected to experience 90% sun coverage, a surprise burst of clouds over University City covered the sun during the eclipse's peak, which occurred at around 3:23 p.m. However, it was too late to turn away the crowds — the largest of which had gathered at a watch party held in front of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library organized by the University.
As the sky darkened slightly and maximum coverage approached, the crowd of students, faculty, and staff were joined by Penn administrators — including Interim Penn President Larry Jameson. Organizers of the watch party — jointly held by Wellness at Penn, University Life, Alumni Relations, and the Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics — distributed eclipse glasses, Moon Pies, Sun Chips, and astronaut ice cream.
The unforeseen cloudy weather during an otherwise sunny day was not the only hiccup. At the College Green watch party, Wellness at Penn ran out of eclipse glasses at approximately 3 p.m. after a line of community members waiting to receive a pair had grown to several hundred people. Groups of five were prioritized to receive glasses, causing smaller groups and individuals to be turned away.
A University Life spokesperson wrote to The Daily Pennsylvanian that organizers had over 500 pairs of eclipse glasses to distribute. The spokesperson added that organizers purchased all of the glasses that were available from a local supplier.
Since Wellness at Penn did not have enough glasses to accommodate the number of attendees, many students had to "make friends with others and share," Director of Communications Mary Kate Coghlan wrote in a statement.
The collaborative effort was "so much fun to witness," she said, adding that Wellness at Penn was "overwhelmed with how many students wanted to take part."
A glasses distribution location at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design was also unable to meet the demand — contrary to the expectations of some students. Wharton senior Sarah Kim said that she did not buy glasses beforehand because she “had faith” that the University would have enough glasses for everyone.
“It's nice to see so many people gathered for the event, [but] that’s why I wished the University did more,” Kim said.
Wharton junior Mario Paez said he had looked forward to seeing the eclipse but was unable to after organizers ran out of glasses.
Students were surprised by the number of their peers who had come to watch the event. Fifth-year cellular and molecular biology Ph.D. candidate Elana Pyfrom did not anticipate that so many people would be excited about the eclipse, describing the line to pick up glasses as “horrific.”
Nonetheless, the large crowd on College Green — and the resulting fervor — had many community members distracted and quickly forgetting about the short supply of adequate glasses.
“The crowd is more interesting than the sun,” ophthalmology professor Joshua Dunaief said.
In the minutes before the peak of totality, Jameson told the DP that the watch party had “very good energy.”
"It's a huge crowd, and it's a beautiful day," Jameson added, "[but] not too happy about the clouds."
Shortly afterward, around 3:22 p.m., clouds were almost entirely covering the sun and the moon.
"It doesn't look promising," Jameson said. "It's a shame."
Students on College Green, including College first years Alecia Cameron and Hannah Kim, were disappointed that the sudden cloud coverage completely hindered their view of such a rare event.
Kim was still happy that students and faculty came together — adding that while they may have left disappointed, students had skipped class to see the eclipse.
The size of the crowd, combined with the suspense of the eclipse, evidently drew out some students and professors who were previously less inclined to watch the movement of the moon's shadow. College first year AiLing Chen, for example, did not initially plan on coming to the watch party, but decided to stay after seeing the size of the crowd.
“I’ve never seen so many students gathered in one place at once," she said.
While Paez had homework due, he said the solar eclipse allowed him to take a "little mental break."
History professor Peter Holquist was holding office hours during the time of maximum coverage — but his students said there was "no way" he could miss the solar eclipse.
“I’m taking my students' advice,” Holquist said during the watch party. “It's nice to [watch the solar eclipse] collectively and together."
Administrators — including University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community Reverend Chaz Howard and Executive Director of Student Affairs Katie Bonner — wrote in statements to the DP that they admired the cross section of students, faculty, and staff that had gathered to share in the spectacle.
Despite the glasses shortage on College Green and the cloud coverage, Penn community members generally said they enjoyed watching an astronomical rarity grace Penn's campus.
“It's a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Kim said. “So I’m glad people got to experience it.”
News Editor Ben Binday, senior reporter Nitin Seshadri, and staff reporter Ethan Young contributed reporting.
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