Gallery: Wesleyan, Local Communities Flock to Foss Hill for Eclipse

Foss Hill is the place for gatherings. Commencement, Spring Fling, baseball games, the first snow fall. They are all occasions for people to grace the grass. Some do it in the spirit of achievement and others in the name of pure, good ‘ole fashioned fun. On April 8, hundreds of Wesleyan students, faculty, staff, and local community members came together on the University green for a different reason—wonder—as a partial solar eclipse passed above them.

The Astronomy Department hosted an eclipse viewing on Foss Hill and in the Van Vleck Observatory in partnership with the Russell Library. Organizers passed out eclipse glasses for the masses and had several information tables for visitors to learn about the eclipse and to check out books on space if they were interested.

“I think it’s just nice that we’re able to interact with the broader Middletown community,” said Liam Farrell ’26, College of Social Studies major.

There was also a Spanish-language information table with an eclipse-related experiment to improve access for non-English speakers, hosted by Lisseth Gonzales Quevado and Carlos Ordoñez G’25. The Astronomy Department has engaged with Spanish-speakers multiple times over the last year, starting with the annular eclipse in the fall and including a visit from 5th graders in Middletown’s English Language Learners program. Associate Professor of Astronomy Meredith Hughes said the 5th graders peppered Gonzales Quevado and Ordoñez with questions about space, despite often appearing quiet in their English-based classes. Gonzales Quevado said she felt she really connected with the students and saw one of them at the event.

Here is a selection of photos from the action-packed day. All images by Meka Wilson.