Monday April 8, 2024, Ann Arborites and millions across the United States were plunged into darkness. Solar eclipses have long held a mystical quality, bringing abnormal darkness in the middle of the day. From southern Texas to northern Maine, a band of of totality added excitement to an otherwise mundane Monday. Students and residents observed the celestial event in a moment of mutual awe, and our photographers set out to the streets to capture it.
LSA juniors Alena Johnson and Brendan Boyd watch the eclipse on the Diag Monday. Josh Sinha/Daily. Buy this photo. 
Ross seniors Maddie Burns and Josie Gooch and LSA senior Caroline Davis sit in their front lawn watching the eclipse Monday afternoon. Sarah Boeke/Daily. Buy this photo. 
LSA sophomore Sara Plante photographs the solar eclipse on the Diag Monday. Josh Sinha/Daily. Buy this photo. 
LSA juniors Raymond Liu and Paul Lais use a filter to watch the eclipse Monday afternoon. Sarah Boeke/Daily. Buy this photo.
While a warm spring day normally draws students outside, Monday’s eclipse brought an entirely new energy to campus. Every inch of the Diag was claimed by students as they sprawled on blankets and leaned on backpacks, glancing up every once in a while with eclipse goggles branded by various University of Michigan schools. The residential neighborhoods were equally lively with students perched on porches and rooftops.
Top left: Students fill the Diag watching the eclipse Monday afternoon. Ellie Vice/Daily. Buy this photo. Bottom left: Students, faculty, and Ann Arbor residents sit on the steps of Angell Hall to view the eclipse. Dan Kim/Daily. Buy this photo. Right: LSA freshman Luke Ellerstein looks up to watch the peak of the eclipse Monday afternoon. Julianne Yoon/Daily. Buy this photo.
At the eclipse’s peak, though not quite totality in Ann Arbor, an eerie quiet dimmed the previous buzz of activity. In a surreal moment, everyone paused to take in the orange-tinged darkness and abnormal shadows cast by the eclipse on the campus buildings. It was a moment where Michigan’s diverse student body stood united. Usually, these moments of unison at the spirited University come in the form of group chants at football games, but this was a calm juxtaposition, offering a moment of reflection together.
Students sit in the Law Quad waiting for the eclipse Monday afternoon. Sarah Boeke/Daily. Buy this photo. 
Ross senior Sarah Hwang, Kinesiology sophomore Hailey Choi, Ross seniors Eugene Seo and Steven Huang use eclipse viewing strips to look at the sun in the Diag Monday afternoon. Julianne Yoon/Daily. Buy this photo. 
Students gather together to watch the eclipse. Josh Sinha/Daily. Buy this photo. 
Ross and Engineering junior Ethan Gould sits in the Law Quad waiting for the eclipse Monday afternoon. Sarah Boeke/Daily. Buy this photo. 
Students gather on the Diag to watch the eclipse on Monday afternoon. Ellie Vice/Daily. Buy this photo.
Many Michiganders flocked to Toledo, Ohio to catch the eclipse in totality. Michigan students grouped together into massive carpools for a road trip to an otherwise “enemy” state. I-94 East chugged along slowly, a congested stop and start from Metro Detroit to Toledo. Even backroads that typically only see tractors and locals filled in with lineups of Michigan-plated cars. Every metro park, playground or simple patch of grass in Toledo became viewing grounds for a solar spectacle.
Left: Kids visiting to watch the solar eclipse gather at an ice cream truck in Ottawa Park in Toledo, OH, Monday. Georgia McKay/Daily. Buy this photo.. Right: Phil and Jan Sheaffer along with their dog Callie traveled from their home in Grand Ledge, MI to Ottawa Park in Toledo, OH to watch the eclipse. They saw the partial eclipse in 2017, and were excited to see it in totality. Grace Lahti/Daily. Buy this photo.
At one such spot, a group of our staff, Managing Photo Editor Grace Lahti, Assistant Photo Editor Georgia McKay and staff photographers Arushi Sanghi and Ananya Kedia spoke with the army of eclipse watchers who had set up camp at Ottawa Park. Lynn Culver from Battle Creek, was inspired by her son to travel to watch the eclipse. She made the sarcastic remark, “My son said I’d be dead before the next one, so I needed to go see it. He’s so sweet!” Culver then went on about how her son had traveled from Michigan to Tennessee in 2017 just to experience totality. The wonders of our natural world never fail to pull people together from near and far, taking off from work and obligations to adhere to the universe’s schedule.
In a sky unfettered by clouds, the solar eclipse is now a magical memory for many. This event of totality occurs twice every three years, and only in the same place approximately every 375 years. The next total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States won’t be until Aug 23. 2044, when U-M students will be able to go with families of their own. A powerful instant for the student body and faculty, Michigan can now sit back and remember the time when we all looked to the sky.
Managing Photo Editor Grace Lahti can be reached at glahti@umich.edu
Senior Outreach Editor Sarah Boeke can be reached at seboeke@umich.edu
The Michigan Daily Photo Staff can be reached at photo@michigandaily.com.