April 8, 2024 – Hundreds of students, faculty and staff gathered on the College’s front lawn to witness this once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon with their peers.

The college distributed over 1,000 eclipse glasses in advance of the event. Astrophysics Professor Dominique Paradis and his students also set up telescopes equipped with solar filters.

“The atmosphere of being around everyone, all very excited to see the sun disappear for just a few short minutes was unique and made the whole experience for me,” said Antoine Frappier-Temcheff, a Pure & Applied Science student and amateur astronomer. “The hour leading up to totality was unbelievable, with everyone crowding around counting down the minutes until the second contact.”

Antoine had been anticipating the event for months, immersing himself in scientific literature, watching videos and even bringing his own telescope to the College.

“Once totality occurred and the entire sky went dark, the view was even better than I thought it would be,” he said. “No amount of videos or facts about eclipses could have prepared me for the incredible majesty of this celestial spectacle. It was awe-inspiring and really highlighted the difference between an academic understanding of a topic and a hands-on experience.”

Pure & Applied Science student Yikai Zhao described the event as life affirming. “It’s easy to forget the fact that we are travelling at more than 100,000 km/h around the sun,” he remarked. “The universe truly is extraordinary.”