St. Joseph's University physics class pivots lesson to solar eclipse

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There was a slight change to one physics class at Saint Joseph's University on Tuesday night.

With the solar eclipse looming, Tuesday's lesson was all about eclipses.

"We're having a big event coming next week, we have a total eclipse of the sun coming through our country and a partial eclipse visible from here on campus," said Deborah Skapik, an adjunct professor at Saint Joseph's University.

A once, possibly even twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity is nearing North America, Skapik told her students.

"How incredibly rare it is to have this alignment happen, how special I should say, and to be in the shadow of it," she explained.

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A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, completely blocking the face of the sun.

"In the path versus out of the path, it's a different experience but everyone gets a great show," Skapik said.

Unless you're traveling to a destination in the path of totality, Philadelphia will see a partial eclipse, meaning the moon will cover up 90% of the sun.

"This is a natural tie-in to show what we're doing in our lab connects to this incredible event coming our way," explained Skapik.

Skapik says she has been talking about the solar eclipse for a while now.

"We've been hearing about the eclipse for a couple of months now since I've been in this class, so April 8 is a big day. I'm excited to experience it myself," explained Jason Abahazy, one of her students.

The prime time to catch the partial eclipse locally is between 3:14 p.m. and 3:40 p.m.

"I often compare it to falling in love for the first time, this thing just happened to me, I can't explain it to others but I want them to experience it too," said Skapik.