As eclipse mania captivated the world over, the April 8 celestial event was extra special for Colleyville Heritage High School astronomy students in Tanner Hannah’s class. They were going to see first hand what they had been studying in class, and they were going to see it using professional-grade telescopes.
“It’s basically the best thing ever in astronomy, you could say,” senior Bradin Pritchett stated as he carefully adjusted one of the telescopes on the school’s lawn, 30 minutes prior to totality. “When you look at the sun on any given day, it’s just a bright ball of fire and light. You really can’t get much detail, but today you will.”
The class was setting up four professional-grade telescopes, including three Dobsonian telescopes and one hydrogen-alpha solar telescope, to track the path of the eclipse and see features of the sun’s corona – all things they had been taught.
In astronomy class, the students had studied astronomical objects in the universe as required by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and students could also participate in night labs.
“We have one night lab about every month where we use the telescopes to see stars or planets far away,” Pritchett added as students continued adjusting their equipment and took turns peeking in through the lens, reporting to each other what they were seeing. Sketches of the sun’s corona and the time were also being recorded on clipboards.
Suddenly, the sky began to darken and students, as well as teachers, remarked that the temperature was feeling cooler. Totality was nearing.
“You can see the corona!” one student shouted with excitement, which was followed with cheers and rounds of applause. Totality had arrived. Another student could be heard saying “It’s so beautiful; that’s crazy!”
A few minutes later, normal daylight began to return, but the students continued looking through the lenses and sharing what they had just experienced together.
“You can see how focused and excited they were,” Hannah remarked. “It’s one of those ‘aha’ moments, connecting what they learned in the classroom. It’s also a memory from high school that they will have for a lifetime.”
Pritchett agreed.
“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for specific people in a specific area,” Pritchett shared. “We were very fortunate to be on the path.”