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Anicia Dixon
Staff Writer
On April 8 approximately 31.6 million people were expected to be in the path of totality of a solar eclipse that moved across the U.S., leaving many people with a complete or partial view. Unfortunately, some states, like Mississippi had clouds in their forecast during the eclipse and did not get to experience the phenomenon.
Around 2 p.m. on the Jackson State University Plaza, students were handed eclipse viewing glasses and all gathered to watch the galactic show together.
The eclipse entered the U.S., crossing states such as Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
The days prior to the arrival of the eclipse, safety precautions were stressed. On Texas highways there were signs stating, NO STOPPING ON HIGHWAY TO VIEW ECLIPSE, The Hill News reported.
Travel tips and precautions that Texas implemented during the brief darkness that took over the U.S. were also implemented in several other states such as Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri.
People across the U.S. that were in the solar eclipse’s path of totality were excited for the four minutes of darkness. Others, not so much.
Viral TikTok’s from numerous creators about the solar eclipse spread on social media and concerned the public. Several warnings spread from social media via users who were cautious about this particular eclipse. The conspiracy led people to believe that this eclipse was going to be damaging to people’s livelihoods if they did not share the same concern as others.
Warnings included having a full tank of gas in your vehicle, and stocking up on non-perishable food, water, and other essential supplies.
Some TikTokers also claimed that it would be bad luck to look at the solar eclipse and to stay inside. Others users brushed it off by making jokes. One user wrote, “If the government says not to watch it, I’m watching.”
Another user wrote, followed by a meme, “Me when the solar eclipse is over and I still don’t have superpowers.”
Regardless of the social media warnings, conspiracies, or jokes about the solar eclipse, people still looked forward to getting a live look at the solar eclipse’s passing.
Treniti Smith, a senior social science major from Danville, Ill., really enjoyed this opportunity to see the eclipse.
“I thought the eclipse was really cool. I did look at it without the glasses for a little bit because I am dangerous and I just couldn’t help myself but to peek,” Smith said.
Smith also leaned into the fun conspiracies traveling through the internet. With her interest in astrology, she applies more spiritual meanings towards phenomenon like an eclipse.
“I have been feeling kind of crazy lately- but nevertheless I do feel like everybody is going to get their superpowers at midnight because of the eclipse. I also feel like some really freaky-deaky things are going to happen. I’m into astrology. Things coming to light, relationships changing and people entering new phases in their life is a very real thing and I definitely think it’s going to happen,” Smith said.
Derrick Brooks, a senior healthcare administration major from Memphis, Tenn. was another student among the masses who gathered on the plaza for the view.
“I thought the solar eclipse was very pretty. I looked at the solar eclipse with my regular glasses and then I got the other glasses and it was pretty. It was really scary. I feel that I am a conspiracy theorist, so I feel like everything comes true spiritually but maybe not physically,” said Brooks.
The eclipse had many people worried, confused, or excited. Nonetheless, it sparked interest across the world, bringing together millions. The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. is not scheduled to happen until 2044.
