College of Charleston to Distribute Solar Eclipse Glasses to Campus

When the historic solar eclipse cuts a swath across the Charleston area on the afternoon of Aug. 21, 2017, you’ll want to be prepared to watch the spectacle safely with an approved pair of eclipse-viewing glasses.

To ensure that members of the campus community can witness the eclipse in CofC style, the College is providing free pairs of custom-designed eclipse-viewing glasses to all students, faculty and staff. The glasses will be available for pick-up at the following locations:

Pick-Up Locations for Eclipse Glasses Beginning Aug. 16

Addlestone Library Circulation Desk, 205 Calhoun St.
Center for Student Learning (Addlestone Library, Room 116), 205 Calhoun St.
College of Charleston Bookstore, 160 Calhoun St.
Stern Student Center Information Desk, 71 George St.
Division of Marketing and Communications, Robert Scott Small Building, Suite 207, 175 Calhoun St.
Office of Multicultural Student Programs and Services, 207 Calhoun St.
School of Sciences and Mathematics Building, Office 130, 202 Calhoun St.
The Graduate School of the University of Charleston, SC, Randolph Hall, Suite 310, 66 George St.
Office of Admissions, Craig Hall, 65 George St.

Pick-Up Locations for Eclipse Glasses at Campus Events

Move-in Weekend Movie Night (Space Jam), TD Arena, 9 p.m.-12 a.m., Aug. 19
Georgestock, TD Arena, 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Aug. 20
Convocation, Cistern Yard, Aug. 21
Solar Eclipse Viewing Event, Rivers Green, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30, Aug. 21

NOTE: Eclipse glasses are for students, faculty and staff only. Please take only one pair per person. If you need to make special arrangements to pick-up eclipse glasses, please contact Ron Menchaca, Senior Director of Communications, at menchacar@cofc.edu.

The College will be providing CofC-branded eclipse viewing glasses to the campus community this summer.

People in the Lowcountry will be able to view the eclipse starting at about 1:16 p.m. on Aug. 21. Totality, which is when the moon fully covers the sun, will occur at around 2:46 p.m., with the lunar shadow leaving the area around 4:09 p.m.

To view the eclipse safely, you should wear the glasses while the moon is passing in front of the sun. Once the moon completely blocks the light of the sun, it is safe to temporarily remove the glasses in order to see the total solar eclipse. When the moon begins to move away from the sun, and the edges start to brighten, you should immediately put on your glasses to continue watching.

From 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 21, the College will host a solar eclipse viewing event on Rivers Green behind Addlestone Library for students, faculty and staff. This exclusive campus event is not open to the public. NASA TV will anchor its national coverage of the eclipse live from Rivers Green. The broadcast will be streamed on NASA TV, the NASA website, on the Stream video platform and on various public broadcasting stations across the United States beginning at 1 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2017.

The campus viewing event will also feature food, activities and eclipse experts. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event from the most beautiful campus in America.