Western Nevada College Professor of Physics Dr. Thomas Herring, who also serves as the director of Jack C. Davis Observatory, made a special effort in order to view the recent solar eclipse in totality.

While visiting his cousin in Georgetown, Texas, he also enjoyed the spectacle of a total solar eclipse on April 8.

To record the unusual event, he used a “smart” telescope (Dwarf 2) with neutral density filters, JCDO’s Coronado SolarMax 90 hydrogen alpha solar telescope with a new ZWO ASI 294 MC astronomy camera connected to his laptop and an 80-mm refractor telescope with a white light solar filter (except during totality) to view the event through an eyepiece. Dr. Herring also viewed the Sun with eclipse glasses during partial phases of the eclipse. He said clouds interfered with the event but, fortunately, it cleared in time for totality.

Dr. Herring said that the experience has left him with a desire to view total solar eclipses in the future, including Spain in 2026, Northern Africa in 2027 and Australia in 2028, and, of course, to Reno in 2045 to experience totality again.

“The darkness of totality is unlike any other experience. Pictures, video and the like are simply unable to convey the unique feeling of totality,” he said.

Dr. Herring leads weekly Saturday night Star Parties at the observatory. The public is invited to the free celestial viewing, which begins at 7 p.m. at 2269 Vanpatten Ave.