Mark your calendar: The first total solar eclipse visible from the U-S in seven years is happening Monday on April 8th. That’s one week from today!
And USC students are already preparing for it. Yi Chen, a graduate student studying business analytics, said she’s already made plans to see the solar eclipse.
Yi Chen: I do have three classes in on one day. And I am probably going to skip one because I’m just like, I need to see this. Like, I don’t know when I’m going to see it again.
Other students, like second-year law student Yassi Soleymanlou, is avoiding possible bad mojo.
Yassi Soleymanlou: It affects your aura in like, a bad way. So I’m probably going to stay in and make sure I’m not outside for this.
If you are planning to view the eclipse from L-A, protecting your eyes from the sun is vital. Senior cognitive science major Chrystal Nhan said she’s looking into eye safety precautions.
Chrystal Nhan: I don’t want to ruin my vision. I don’t know what it would do but like, if my mom’s telling me not to look at it, I probably should get something to protect my eyes.
LA is outside of the eclipse’s path of totality -- meaning that a sliver of the sun will still be visible during the eclipse. Wearing proper eclipse viewing glasses or using a pinhole projector is necessary, according to Vanessa Alarcon, an astronomical observer at Griffith Observatory.
Vanessa Alarcon: When it is kind of obscured a little bit, you might be tempted to stare at it for longer, but it’s still very dangerous, it’s still a lot of light coming at you. So you still have to be very careful.
Unlike LA, everyone in San Antonio, Texas will experience the total eclipse. Michael Kezirian, an adjunct professor of astronautics practice at USC, is taking a group of 16 students to San Antonio to fly a helium balloon that will take images of the event.
He said the student team is well prepared to successfully launch the balloon.
Michael Kezirian: Normally, these things take a year to put together, but these are just students working a few months, but they’re experienced, they’re energized and kind of been working long hours, in addition to all their schoolwork.
If you won’t find yourself in Texas next Monday, you can still view the eclipse safely from campus. The USC department of physics and astronomy will have a table by Tommy Trojan for students to watch it.
Vahe Peroomian, a professor of physics and astronomy, encourages students to come by for the event.
Vahe Peroomian: The whole thing might take you a minute. And given that the next was not till 2045 I would say take advantage of this opportunity and stop by.
Their table will set up around 10 a.m. on Monday and provide eclipse glasses.