Campus comes out for the eclipse
20 Mar 2015
University staff from Manchester to Jodrell enjoy solar system spectacle
The University campus, from Manchester to Jodrell Bank, 25 miles away, came to a brief standstill today as staff stopped to enjoy the eclipse.
They were among millions of people in the UK and northern Europe, who glimpsed the best solar eclipse in years.
A great swathe of the Earth's surface was plunged into darkness as the Moon came between us and the Sun, at around 9.30am Manchester time. The deep shadow formed first in the North Atlantic and then swept up into the Arctic, ending at the North Pole.
The University’s Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre had one of the best seats in the house, hosting the biggest astronomical event so far this century on BBC’s Stargazing Live.
Three programmes, including one during the eclipse, were broadcast live from the Observatory Control Room and the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre as usual, with Professor Brian Cox and comedian Dara O Briain presenting.
President and Vice Chancellor Professor Nancy Rothwell, who was at Jodrell for the spectacle, said: “What a fantastic experience it was watching the eclipse and it was great watching it from Jodrell Bank. The whole team did a great job behind the scenes.”
And a delighted Professor Brian Cox said: “That was a spectacular event – and we all feel very lucky because the weather forecasts weren’t that great.
“But everything worked out really well; we got great live pictures from the plane flying over the Faroe Islands while the Lovell Telescope here at Jodrell was able to follow the eclipse to give us some interesting data.”
Co-presenter Dara O'Briain also added that it was “an incredible experience” and went on to praise both the BBC broadcast and University teams working hard behind the scenes to make the live shows such a success. “We have been here five years now and, for me, Jodrell Bank has become a home-from-home, always a real pleasure to come back to the University.”
For eclipse stories and pictures across the campus, visit the University’s Twitter account:
Or watch the Stargazing Live episodes on BBC iPlayer: