Eclipse overshadows first day of school for junior
Making a last minute trip to Kentucky, the Rodrigues sisters miss Monday for better view of solar event.
The Rodrigues family drove approximately 700 miles each way to see the solar eclipse in Kentucky.
The total duration of the eclipse as it crossed the U.S. was less than 3 hours from the time it was first visible in Oregon until it was last visible in South Carolina.
The next solar eclipse will happen on April 8, 2024 with the Dallas area experiencing totality for several minutes.
Totality during Monday’s solar eclipse lasted a maximum of two minutes and 40 seconds and the only place it lasted that long is just south of Carbondale, Illinois, in Giant City State Park.
Monday’s total solar eclipse is the first to cross the entire United States since 1776.
Monday’s solar eclipse may have been seemingly uneventful to many students on campus, but for junior Ariela Rodriguez, it was worth an almost 11 hour trip to Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Some people anticipate viewing the eclipse far in advance, but this wasn’t the case for Ariela and her sister, senior Aricia Rodrigues.
Everyone needs to watch one of those at least once,
— Odilon Rodrigues
“It wasn’t really a planned trip,” Ariela Rodrigues said. “My dad was just like ‘do y’all want to do this?’ and we just said sure, so we did.”
Leaving Sunday afternoon for the Monday afternoon eclipse, the family hit the road to make it right in time.
“When is was like going into the eclipse it wasn’t super cool because it was just kinda getting darker and nothing was really happening,” Rodrigues said. “And then when it was a total eclipse it was crazy because it was just a black ball with this white light around it.”
Rodrigues and her family drove back to Frisco late Monday, to make it in time for the second day of school.
“School will always be available,” father Odilon Rodrigues said. “A full eclipse only comes once in a lifetime, and everyone needs to watch one of those at least once.”
Keegan ‘KEEG$’ Williams, is a senior and Editor-in-Chief for Wingspan. She likes to partake in many activities such as watching Youtube and talking...
