By Janet Dake —
For the first time since 1918, the moon obscured the sun in a total solar eclipse across North America. This cast a long shadow across earth that left some areas in total darkness.
Kentucky was a hot-spot along the path of the eclipse, and for weeks leading up to the astronomical event it was the talk of the town.
But some U of L students were less than impressed.
“Honestly, I was pretty underwhelmed,” Sophomore Ali Buchelt said.
While the city of Louisville experienced just under 96 percent totality, according to the Courier-Journal, Buchelt was not the only one feeling this way.
Some students incorrectly thought Louisville would go into total darkness, particularly with warnings against staring at the sun without NASA-approved glasses. According to the New York Times, “You could permanently damage your eyes.”
The article explained our retinas don’t have pain receptors, so you wouldn’t feel when ultraviolet rays from the sun are burning a hole through them.
So, when Louisville was mid-eclipse and it was still daylight outside, just a little shadowy, some students trudged back inside feeling a bit disappointed
U of L student Megan Eichert had her expectations set low, so she wasn’t disappointed.
“I didn’t really expect anything,” she said. While many students dished out around ten dollars for a pair of NASA-approved glasses, Eichert just borrowed a pair.
“It was kind of cool…I guess,” she said.
