Sharing 50 pairs of shaded glasses, around 200 students gathered to take a peek at the solar eclipse on Monday afternoon. 

Although Tampa did not see the full eclipse, meaning the moon would completely cover the surface of the sun, a curious crowd still flooded the Marshall Student Center (MSC) lawn.

Related: USF campus fills with excitement while viewing the solar eclipse 

The eclipse “peak” was around 3 p.m. in Tampa Bay, with only 60% of the sun being covered, according to the guide by zip code on USA Today.

If they wanted a closer look, three telescopes were available for students who waited in a clustered line from 2-5:30 p.m.

The foldable paper glasses and telescopes were provided by the Astronomy and Astrophysics Club.

The club was “revived” in the fall, after its downfall during the pandemic, by freshman Jake Rivero, an astrophysics major, and Zander Thieryung, a physics major. 

Graduate student Nicholas Grant, a club board member, said the event was planned in only five days. It started with him purchasing around 50 protective glasses to look up at the moon covering the sun. 

“This was slapped together,” Grant said. “The crowd was a pleasant surprise.”

The lawn has “great foot traffic” and that was the prime reason the club positioned the telescopes there, junior Isabella Ramos, a cell and molecular biology major and board member, said.

Junior Amr Almaghrabi, a computer science major, said he drove two hours from his house to campus. His friends insisted he joined the crowd waiting for the eclipse. 

“I honestly can’t believe this is happening,” he said. “It is just a weird scientific occurrence that is actually happening in front of my eyes. The universe is doing this funny little thing, so it is pretty cool to see it.”

Related: First solar eclipse visible in 80 years 

Graduate student Julianna Rodriguez said she simply had to see the eclipse, as the next one will be on her 43rd birthday in August 2045. 

“The last one happened in 2017, I was in high school and I only remember it vaguely,” Rodriguez said. “I just had to come to campus. When I was younger, I wanted to be a meteorologist so this is so cool.” 

Due to USF week, students weren’t the only ones lining up for their turn at a telescope. The five days are filled with events for parents, friends and incoming students, such as a talent show, football spring game and Bullstock.

Parents joined their sons and daughters on the MSC lawn, spending family time under the shadow of the moon at 3 p.m.