KERRVILLE, Texas – Kim Arvidsson can’t describe his excitement as the day of the total sun eclipse nears in April. It’s something the Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Schreiner University has never experienced before.
“I think people don’t generally appreciate just how significantly awe-inspiring such an event (like this) is,” he said.
Arvidsson will be one of the guest speakers at the university in the days leading up to the eclipse. The university has been planning a five-day event centered around the total eclipse expected to last about 4 minutes and 25 seconds in Kerrville.
“I just get to sit here, and the eclipse will come to me,” Arvidsson said.
At the Loftis Observatory, another astronomer, Alan Hale of Hale-Bopp Comet, will be watching what happens just slightly away from the sun.
“He wants to use this telescope to observe comets as they pass close to the sun,” Arvidsson said. “Which is impossible unless something covers the sun.”
Adrien Wingard, the university’s director of auxiliary services, has been helping to coordinate some of the campus events leading up to the eclipse.
“(We spent) two years planning for less than five minutes,” Wingard said. “But, what we have heard is that this is an amazing event,” she says of the total eclipse.
The university has lodging available; already, people from as far as Germany have booked a stay.
Telescopes with filters will be available on the campus lawn to view the eclipse safely. Wingard says the overall goal is to leave a lasting impression on the about 2,000 visitors expected on campus alone.
“We pride ourselves on doing things that really will help showcase that but also give (the) community a wonderful experience when they come here,” she said.
Parking will cost $100 on the day of the eclipse. To find out more information on the activities centered at the campus, click here.