Rodney Cole was seen standing in downtown St. Albans with his solar telescope on Monday afternoon, during midday. The 59-year-old transmitter engineer from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, had traveled to South Carolina in 2017 to view the total solar eclipse, but the view was obscured by clouds at that time. However, on Monday in St. Albans, he was feeling far more optimistic about the viewing conditions.
Cole had set up a Sunspotter Solar Telescope, a wooden device that projects an image of the sun onto a piece of paper. He was closely watching several sunspots, dark areas on the surface of the sun, that the device projected. As he observed, two young children approached to take a closer look at the setup and asked if the spots were sunspots. Cole confirmed their curiosity with a simple “Of course they are!”
It seems that Cole’s interest in observing the sun and its phenomena has drawn the attention of others, sparking curiosity in both children and adults alike. Despite his initial disappointment with the eclipse viewing in 2017, he remains dedicated to experiencing and observing different solar events. Standing in St. Albans with his solar telescope, Cole shares his passion for astronomy with others, providing a unique and educational experience for those who stop to take a look.
