Don’t look back into the sun: Forum taken over by eclipse viewers

This morning, thousands flocked onto campus in the early hours of the morning to view the partial solar eclipse, risking blindness and severe sleep deprivation to join the “Eclipse Party” outside of The Forum.

Many still stumbled out of bed and onto campus in order to witness this “once in a generation” phenomenon, with some even bringing wine with them to enhance their viewing experience.

Cloe, an IR fourth year said: “It was cool, the sun looked like a crescent moon. The main thing is that it got me out of bed and into the library at reasonable hour.”

However, despite the huge hype surrounding the eclipse, an event which has not happened since 1999 and is not set to happen again until 2026, many were disappointed to wake up to a grey and cloudy day.

Many were unable to see ten minutes of the sun not being there, partly because it was covered by the moon, but mostly because it was cloudy and there weren’t enough eclipse glasses to go around. Instead, they mostly stood around in great flocks, talking to each other and then dispersing when they realised it had just happened and they’d missed it.

Second year Psychologist Ben said “It was such a bloody let down, I don’t know why everyone got so excited.”

Third year Classicist Rob was also disappointed by the meteorological phenomenon, reporting: “It passed by and no one really noticed the actual eclipse”.

The most excited people were the ones working in the Forum’s various food outlets, who were suddenly given their own total eclipse by the immense crowds of hungover students wanting breakfast.

Those in lectures were no doubt disappointed to have to watch all the cheerful partygoers pass by from their seminar room windows, but if you think about it, they saw as much of the sun as the rest of us.