At 10:17 a.m. local time on August 21, a 70-mile wide swath of darkness will engulf Oregon State University, in Corvallis. Morning will turn to twilight, and a wispy halo will surround the dark spot where the sun used to be.
All three major Oregon State University campuses are in the path of this summer’s solar eclipse, the first in nearly a century to span the entire width of the contiguous United States. Not only that, each of the system’s three campuses will be in the path of “totality,” the area from which the sun is completely blocked by the moon. Though most of America will see at least a partial eclipse, those in the totality zone have the best seat in the house, and only they will experience the serene umbra, the darkest shadow of the moon.
At the Corvallis campus, students and visitors are celebrating both the eclipse and the university’s 150th birthday with a three-day festival that kicks off with a solar filter-photography workshop to teach those staying on the campus how to photograph a solar eclipse. Later that day, a local artist named Johnny Beaver will begin his cosmos-inspired mural in the West Gallery, which he will finish on the Sunday evening before eclipse day.
Maybe you want to decorate astronomical buttons with Shar Fagersten, an artist and alumna of Oregon State. Local electric blues band Lady Dottie and the Diamonds will perform renditions of tunes by Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, and Buddy Holly on Memorial Union Quad.
We’re talking about something much larger than the Super Bowl, in terms of how many people are watching.
Back in the gallery, Kaitlyn Wittig-Mengüç will use artificial light and shadows to imagine a deep-space expedition in her cosmic performance-art show. If you miss the Saturday performance, no worries; she’ll do it all again on Sunday.
It’s one thing to view the stars from a few million miles away or to watch the sky turn dark during an eclipse, but it’s quite another to actually touch something from outer space. Dick Pugh, a scientist and co-founder of Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory, at Portland State, is bringing his collection of meteorites to Corvallis for a “meteorite petting zoo.” Mr. Pugh has been collecting meteorites for years. His samples come from all over, but he found many of them right in Oregon.
For those who aren’t locals or students and can foot the bill, the university is also providing lodging. About 800 rooms were made available for moon-chasers, priced from $265 to $1,275 for a two-night package that includes meals, safety glasses, internet access, and tickets to a concert on campus, among other perks.
About an hour after the shadow departs Corvallis, at 1:21 p.m. local time, Bob Baer will experience the moment he’s been awaiting for three years. It’s not his first solar eclipse, but it’s the first one he’ll get to see right in his backyard.
Mr. Baer, a computer and electronics specialist at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, began planning eclipse-day festivities in 2014. That’s because his campus’s plan spans a decade, not a weekend.
If there’s a jackpot for eclipse viewing, SIU at Carbondale hit it twice. Not only is it in the path of totality for the 2017 show, it will also fall in the shadow of another eclipse in 2024. Administrators pushed back the first day of school just so students can attend the festivities.
The four-day Crossroads Festival will feature bands — see Party Pants on Friday, We’ve Got It Covered on Saturday, and Blood Red Boots on Sunday, among many other artists — more than a dozen food trucks and vendors, and carnival rides.
For the first time at Southern Illinois University, the campus will host its own comic-con. And it’s eclipse themed. There will be a costume competition with cash prizes and a trophy (put money on the Wookiee), a VIP autograph area, and a zone for video-game enthusiasts.
Attendees be advised, there are some serious rules when it comes to cosplay (donning the costumes of your favorite characters). As the university has made clear, no-costume is not a costume. No “unintentional” wardrobe malfunctions, either.
On the day of the eclipse, there will be live narration in the Saluki Stadium with Mat Kaplan, a radio host and producer with the Planetary Society.
NASA Edge, which will live-broadcast the eclipse to an estimated 250 million viewers, is setting up camp and cameras on the Carbondale campus. The ESPN College GameDay-style show features live shots of the eclipse as it begins in Oregon and creeps across the United States, along with commentary from scientists and researchers.
“We’re talking about something much larger than the Super Bowl, in terms of how many people are watching,” Mr. Baer said.
The university sold out 416 weekend packages in an on-campus dorm for prospective visitors at $800 a room, and sold out the student recreation center’s camp-in area, which went for $40 per person per night.
At the College of Science, we’re calling this our national championship game.
Mid-level VIP Saluki Stadium tickets, at $200 a ticket, are all gone, too. Half the tickets available in the main stadium area — which holds about 15,000 — have been sold or reserved for students.
Those wanting to watch the eclipse from a roof or on the field can consider buying one 12-person VIP package available for $6,000, six 16-person spaces going for $8,000, and four 20-person suite packages available at $10,000 a pop.
Despite these funds and the parking fees ($20 to $30, depending on if you park in a lot or in a field), Mr. Baer says the university is aiming only to break even. “When we planned this, we were very optimistic,” he said. “We planned that anything extra would roll over to the event in 2024. I don’t think there will be any extra.”
Clemson University will celebrating the eclipse the way any proud Atlantic Coast Conference campus would: tailgating. Or, in this case, “tailgazing.” That’s what they’re calling the grassy area where 900 cars, trucks, and coolers will be stationed for the totality predicted at 2:37 p.m. local time.
“Being defending national champions at football, people love to tailgate,” said Jim Melvin, director of public communications for the university. “At the College of Science we’re calling this our national championship game.”
And like any home game, the grills, televisions, tents, and beer will be plentiful out on the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Center. The only difference? No losers.
The starting line: Three hundred students volunteers, a horde of scientists and researchers, and an expected maximum of about 50,000 visitors.
If the weather doesn’t cooperate — or if visitors tire of staring at the sun — Mr. Melvin said there will be a 290-foot monitor streaming the NASA Edge broadcast.
Some ancient lore around solar eclipses often concerns impending doom — the Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson said many Vikings accused a conniving wolf of stealing the light in the sky — Mr. Melvin said the real threat is from eye damage for those who aren’t wearing safety glasses.
Most universities have glasses available at viewing stations. The University of South Carolina has about 5,000 pairs of glasses to hand out, Truman State University is selling customized eclipse safety wear, and Clemson has about 55,000 free pairs for visitors witnessing a rare spectacle.
The eclipse provides a rare opportunity for researchers, too. It’s one of the very few times the inner corona, a crownlike aura of plasma in the sun’s atmosphere, is visible to the naked eye.
At universities like Clemson and Southern Illinois, scientists are taking this opportunity to send large weather-balloon cameras aloft to take higher-quality photos of the corona.
Understanding the corona helps scientists understand solar flares, which disrupt satellite transmissions and cellphone networks.
After three years of planning, Mr. Baer said he’s ready to see the results of his labor. There’s no respite for the curious, however; when the eclipse ends and the sun returns, there will be a new trove of data to study.
“There’s a little bit of relief in getting to this day,” Mr. Baer said. “I really want to see the data we get out of this eclipse. Following this, we go to work.”
Correction (7/31/2017, 1:15 p.m.): This article originally called Clemson University a member of the SEC. It is an ACC member, of course. The article has been updated to reflect that correction.
