RADFORD, Va. – The solar eclipse was all the rage at Radford University's planetarium Monday.
"We took a shot of faith that it would be clear today and we could give away glasses and get people to look at the sun and do something different," said Rhett Herman, physics professor and planetarium director.
Radford's Eclipse Viewing Party kicked off Monday morning. Kids got in on the action...painting eclipses and sun gazing through a telescope. Radford also had a team of researchers in Nashville that were live streaming their experience with the total eclipse.
"It gets people thinking about the broader universe instead of just a few miles away from their own house," said Herman.
The Vest family traveled from Floyd to view the eclipse.
"It kind of looks like the moon when you first look at it because the moon was covering it up where you could see just the edge of the sun. It was cool," said Aidan Vest.
"At first I couldn't really see it but then when you start trying to focus on it, it kind of looks like one of the moon phases," said Zachary Vest.
Through the eyes of a child...a reminder that the universe is sometimes more than meets the eye.
"I didn't know there was going to be an eclipse and so once my mom told me, I was like 'Yay,'" said Morgan Vest.
NASA helped sponsor the Eclipse Viewing Party.
Radford staff say about 1000 people circulated through the planetarium during the event.