The Great American Solar Eclipse, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is calling it, made its debut today around 10 a.m. at California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State). The last time such phenomenon occurred was in 1979, according to ABC coverage.

After this summer’s vacations, The Signal student members and staff had the opportunity to reexperience and experience this rare solar eclipse. Together, students and staff took turns getting a glimpse of this spectacular phenomenon through a telescope provided by Dr. Horvath, professor of Communication Studies.

The sharing of the solar eclipse glasses, taking pictures through the telescope and catching up with one another made for the new and old members of The Signal newspaper to get to know each other and also create a team-building environment.

One of the groups observing the eclipse saw a mother and daughter sitting alone and decided to share the eclipse glasses with the little girl.

“I can see the moon!” The little girl exclaimed, making the team and her mother smile.

Isabel Tardif (junior, Operations Management) had witnessed an eclipse before. It was an experience that left her waiting for this next one.

“Last time I experienced an eclipse it was noticeably cooler, so I was really looking forward to this one,” Tardif expressed.

Eric Lloyd (senior, Graphic Arts) was excited to be able to witness a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He had his eclipse glasses all ready to go.

He reflected on his experience saying, “It was a nice experience to experience a rare phenomenon.”

The emotions that were felt today were reminiscent of those felt in 1979, during the past solar eclipse. Today’s feelings were overshadowed by a sense of dread when footage of ABC’s 1979 coverage resurfaced onto the web.

The footage featured Newscaster Fred Reynolds closing the coverage with a hopeful message for America’s future stating, “May the shadow of the moon fall on a world at peace.”

The message caused many to reflect on our current political state and compare it to the aspirations that Reynolds expected. Donald Trump’s presidency has had a rough start losing and gaining members of his White House Staff, tension with North Korea has been on on a rise and White Supremacists have taken the streets in order to push their agenda.

Eric Greenberg, Information Services and eclipse observer at Stan State, spoke about the uniqueness of today’s eclipse.

“This is the first time that almost every American has had a recording device with them, so some scientists are trying to get people to record animals to see if their behavior really does change during a solar eclipse especially in the areas of the total solar eclipse,” Greenberg expressed.

An article found in the U.S. News and World Reportstated that researchers from NASA, as well as the public, would be involved in data collection regarding the effect of the eclipse on animals.

“We should see some really fun YouTube videos in the upcoming days,” Greenberg said.

With such phenomenon occurring so early in the day, The Signal welcomes all Warriors back to Stan State.

“Welcome back! The Signal’s live again,” Dr. Shannon Stevens, The Signal Adviser, said.