Spur-of-the-moment science lesson in St. Albans

Man in a fedora and sunglasses standing at an outdoor event with booths and people on the grass in the background. — Rodney Cole stands with his solar telescope in St. Albans around midday on Monday. Photo by Shaun Robinson/VTDigger

ST. ALBANS — When he traveled to South Carolina in 2017 to view that year’s total solar eclipse, Rodney Cole said the view he was hoping for ended up largely obscured by clouds. Standing in downtown St. Albans around midday Monday, Cole said he was feeling far better about the viewing conditions slated for the afternoon.

People gather on a grassy park in front of old brick and stone buildings.

A sign that reads "The eclipse is so bright I gotta wear shades."

People stand on grass among telescopes and camera tripods.

Outdoor community event with people gathering in a park, some sitting on the grass and others walking among stalls and tents, with historic buildings in the background.

The 59-year-old transmitter engineer from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, had set up a wooden device — called a Sunspotter Solar Telescope — that projects an image of the sun onto a piece of paper. For the time being, he was closely watching several sunspots — areas that appear dark on the surface of the sun — that it was projecting.

Two young children approached to take a look at the setup. “Are those actually sunspots?” one asked, craning their neck for a better look. “Of course they are!” Cole replied.

Shaun Robinson