Hi: was wondering if anyone knew if the university was planning any special viewings or events for the upcoming eclipse. The eclipse will take place on Mon Aug 21, 2017.
Looks like the eclipse path of totality will pass directly over Nashville. Will classes even be in session then?
Any info would be appreciated.
vandy has a very strong astronomy major…why not put in a query in that department
I have been reading for over a year that the best view in the area (maybe the nation) will be in Hopkinsville, KY which is midway between where I live and Nashville. My cc is planning a huge viewing party and is encouraging us to cancel classes that afternoon and promote student involvement in the campus events. I can’t imagine that if we are doing this that VU won’t be having something far bigger and better.
@Faline2 They don’t offer an astronomy major, only a minor.
there’s gonna be a huge viewing on alumni lawn and a special one for freshmen on commons
Dorms open on 19th and 20th. First day of classes is Wed 8/23.
So Monday 8/21 seems to be perfectly timed for a big eclipse party…
This video gives you the opportunity to hear from a variety of Vandy faculty on how their disciplines intersect with the eclipse. I think it’s very well done, but I’m prejudiced since I know someone involved in putting it together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyxuJNSGH8U
Did anyone manage to see the eclipse from Nashville? How did the events on the Vandy campus go? Interested to hear? Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it to Nashville, but did see the eclipse from elsewhere.
I flew in to the Nashville airport on the 21st to see the eclipse. Worked out well viewing it from the top of a parking garage across the street from the airport entrance. From what I understand, downtown Nashville had cloud cover during the totality. There was a cloud at the airport about 15-20 minutes before totality but it was gone a couple minutes before totality. Not sure how things went at Vandy. Hopefully they had clear skies for totality. You could have a 100% clear day and all it would take is one decent sized cloud to show up for 2-3 minutes to ruin it.
Skies were clear on campus; there were tons of people watching on alumni and peabody lawns.
I watched it with people from many states and countries (Ireland, Canada, India, etc) at Centennial Park, which is just off campus. We had mostly clear skies and it was a terrific experience. Many brought cameras on tripods, and I met one person who had seen a total eclipse before (she flew in from New Jersey). It was quite hot, though, in the 90s. For two minutes, it was like a twilight with streetlights and lights in the Parthenon turning on. Later, as the sky brightened, there was a brief fireworks show that we saw perfectly but couldn’t be seen from Alumni Lawn, so maybe it was at Commons? It was great that classes hadn’t started but most students were in town. The freshmen were got special eclipse class tee shirts and glasses. Some businesses closed for a short time so their employees could step outside at the right time.
On Tuesday, just over 26 hours later, we experienced flooding rain, a loud and long lightning storm, etc—normal Nashville weather. It’s amazing to me that the weather cooperated for the eclipse. The local news reported that they had thousands of extra people flying out of the airport Monday and Tuesday, but shrugged it off saying it was no different than Bonnaroo or CMA weekends.