Liberty community takes part in historical eclipse with viewing party

On Monday, Liberty University’s DeMoss Hall rooftop patio was transformed into a viewing station on the frontlines of history as students, faculty, staff, and members of the Lynchburg community came out to see the Great American Eclipse.

This was the first eclipse in about 100 years that was viewable from coast to coast across the United States. In Lynchburg, those looking upward were able to see 89 percent totality of the eclipse. More than 500 people came to take advantage of viewing the event through one of two 8-inch telescopes with special solar filters provided by the Liberty University Astronomical Observatory. Eclipse glasses were also available from 1 to 4 p.m.

“It’s a lot of fun to share God’s creation and a special event such as a near total eclipse for us in Lynchburg,” said Department of Mathematics Associate Professor Dr. Scott Long. “The telescopes have worked out really nicely. We’ve been able to see some sun spots along with the moon approaching on the sun’s disk.”

During the eclipse, student workers from the observatory were on hand to assist viewers with the telescopes and educate those curious about what was happening in the sky.

For junior and observatory student worker Michael Bagnasco, it was a long way from viewing the moon through the toy telescope he received as a gift at 8 years old.

“I remember it worked terribly and it was extremely low-tech,” Bagnasco said. “When I came to Liberty and found out we had an observatory, I asked how I could get involved.”

Bagnasco said he was excited to take part in history.

“The last time we had an eclipse of this scale was in 1979,” he said. “Clearly, I wasn’t alive back then, so I was really stoked to be able to work on this type of high-tech equipment for the eclipse. I have to thank Liberty for providing us with these resources.”

Senior Steven Dutkus, who also works at the observatory, said he felt the viewing was rewarding because it’s a chance to show the community what the observatory has to offer.

“People are always curious about the observatory,” he said. “This was a good opportunity to do that. Working at the observatory has been a fantastic way to expand my knowledge and understanding of the cosmos. When I do learn something new, or gain some form of understanding, it’s always fun to share that with our visitors.”

Long said he hopes that an event like this encourages students to visit the observatory throughout the year, due to an ever-changing night sky.

“The university specially invested in this observatory so that the students are able to experience God’s creation of the many stars and galaxies in the night sky,” Long said. “We always want students to take advantage of this opportunity.”

The Liberty community and the general public is invited to visit the observatory throughout the year. It is located on Liberty Mountain near the back of the Liberty University Equestrian Center grounds. It is open from 9 p.m. to midnight. Hours are announced through the observatory’s Facebook page.