2024 Solar Eclipse Event

Event Announcement

The 2024 Great American Solar Eclipse has its path of totality right through the heart of SPS Zone 7 on April 8!  To celebrate this occurrence, the Physics Department and SPS chapter at Cleveland State University graciously offered to hold an event on its campus and has invited members from across SPS Zone 7 to join them.

Registration

The CSU chapter requested that people who wish to attend to register for the event. Registration was free.  The event was scheduled to occur regardless of the weather.  Some solar viewing glasses were available but attendees were also encouraged to bring their own eye protection or other observing instruments.  

Sigma Pi Sigma Solar Eclipse Resources

Sigma Pi Sigma, the Physics Honor Society, created a web page with resources, live streams, and viewing sites related to the 2024 Great American Solar Eclipse.  A list of other professional and citizen science projects from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research is also available.  A few sites which may be of interest include:

• Eclipsophile: Total Solar Eclipse (8 April 2024)
  This page by Jay Anderson contains detailed analysis of historical weather trends along the entire path of totality.

• Solar Eclipse: Interactive Google Maps
  This page links to an interactive Google map that allows a user to find out the times of the start and end of recent and future solar eclipses at any location including the elevation and azimuth of the sun at those times.  

• TimeAndDate.com Eclipse Central
  This page at timeanddate.com enables users to input their location and then find out when the eclipse will be starting, peaking, and ending as well as the amount of occlusion (blocking) at various stages. The total eclipse in Cleveland will start at 1:59 pm, peak at 3:15 pm, and end at 4:29 pm.

• NASA Eclipse Explorer
  This page shows a simulation of the shadow (umbra) as it will move across North America. You can also show the path of the eclipse and totality in areas selected by the user.

Event Schedule

Event activities will be held mainly in and around the Science and Research Center (SR) on the campus of Cleveland State University.  

Monday, April 8, 2024

11:00-11:30 am:  Coffee/Tea with CSU Students, CSU Alumni, CSU faculty, and SPS students [SR Atrium]

11:30-12:20 pm:  Presentation: Dr. Thijs Heus (Associate Professor of Physics, Cleveland State University) [SR 151]

Dr. Heus made a presentation entitled "Cloudy with a Chance of Moonshine: Predicting the Weather during a Solar Eclipse."

12:30-1:00 pm:  Pizza Break  [SR Atrium]

1:00-1:50 pm:  Presentation: Dr. Joseph Glaser (Scientific Computing Specialist, NANOGrav, West Virginia University)   [SR 151]

Dr. Glaser made a presentation entitled "The 2024 Solar Eclipse: A History and Local Perspective."

2:00-4:30 pm:  Solar Eclipse Observation [Outside and/or SR 151/152]

• Eclipse observation occur outside [Area in front of SR].  Eclipse live feeds from NASA and SPS were also available inside.  

• Two citizen science initiatives were undertaken:
  (1) Radio Jove Solar Eclipse Citizen Science Project using a receiver to monitor decameter radio wave signals and
  (2) Solar Eclipse QSO Party using a portable amateur radio station operated by licensed amateurs. [Area in front of SR]

Thank you to everyone who attended this unique event!

Please see the Cleveland State University web page "The Eclipse in Pictures" for some beautiful photos of the sun and its prominences during the eclipse as well as photos of the people and activities at the event.  Students and alumni attended from the Cleveland State and Kettering University chapters.  (Please let us know if you were there from other chapters!)

A set of summary slides showing photos of the event, photos of the eclipse, and results from the radio activities has been posted.

Check back on the SPS Zone 7 web site for announcements about future special events.