On Monday, April 8, a total solar eclipse will be visible in a very narrow swath spanning the contiguous United States and parts of Mexico and Canada. At UT Dallas, the eclipse will be visible from 12:23 p.m. to 3:03 p.m., with about 3 ½ minutes of totality beginning at 1:41 p.m.

“No Comet Left Inside,” UTD’s campuswide celebration, will include giveaways, booths, music and telescopic projection viewing areas.

Classes on April 8 are canceled between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., and nonessential services will be suspended so that staff members, as well as faculty members and students, can enjoy the spectacle. 

Campus activities will include:

• 10 a.m.: Protective eclipse glasses, distributed by the Office of Research and Innovation, and commemorative T-shirts will be available, while supplies last, to those who show their valid Comet Card. After the eclipse, used glasses may be deposited in donation bins for Astronomers Without Borders. See the map for locations.
• 11 a.m. to noon: A roundtable discussion featuring Dr. Eileen Stansbery, chief of the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division at the NASA Johnson Space Center; Dan Brounoff, chief meteorologist at KRLD-AM; and Dr. Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki, UTD professor of physics, will be held in the Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building Lecture Hall. 
• Noon: Various organizations will have booths on Margaret McDermott Mall, and music will be played on Chess Plaza and near the Sciences Building courtyard. KRLD’s Brounoff will broadcast live from Chess Plaza.
• UTD scientists will set up three outdoor locations (see the map) with telescopes for projection viewing, as well as other indirect viewing methods.
• Livestreaming of the eclipse will be available in the Student Union Galaxy Rooms.

Staying Safe

Protective eclipse glasses must be worn to view the sun safely during the partial phases of the eclipse leading up to and directly after totality. Only during totality is it safe to remove the glasses and view the eclipse directly. The website timeanddate.com has an interactive map that provides details about the timing of various phases of the eclipse from a specific location.