By Will Coffman, Staff Writer

When watching the news about the solar eclipse, the images that most stick out are, of course, the sun blacked out by the moon with a halo around it or the pictures of the sky darkening at 3 p.m. But the photos I think were most prevalent, arguably outnumbering the ones of the actual eclipse, were the photos of the crowds watching this solar spectacle. It’s these photos that I think really showcase the best part of this eclipse, seeing a unity we frankly haven’t seen in a long time. 

It was refreshing to see that across our country, millions of people were focused on the same thing and stood together, laughed together, expressed awe together but most importantly,  enjoyed themselves together. I for one can share that I felt this feeling when I traveled to Dayton to watch the eclipse with a group of friends. At that moment when totality appeared, I felt like a member of the Dayton community. The people around us who were total strangers shared great conversations with us and welcomed us. It truly felt like home. 

I think this feeling of unity and a shared focus has been something our country has been missing, and I think people would agree it was nice to have it back, even if only for a day. It’s a common occurrence for events involving space to unite people. America and the world stood together as one and watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz  Aldrin walk on the moon. Similarly, America prayed and hoped together when Apollo 13  malfunctioned in space, and we celebrated together when our astronauts got home. We mourned for the crews of Challenger and Columbia, but we pledged to push on in their names. We smile when the International Space Station flies over our homes, or when we stargaze or bear witness to meteor showers. When we are reminded of the vastness of what surrounds our planet, and when we recognize we are truly that pale blue dot in infinite darkness, that appreciation of what we have really hit us. So, let’s have more of it. 

In an era where our country is dangerously divided, and things that have always united us are now furthering that division, why not turn to one of the few things that hasn’t failed yet: our ambitions in space. How do we unite our divided United States? We find a shared mission again;  one that is above party politics and above our own personal gain. NASA is eyeing a return to the moon with the Artemis program, and studies of the planets and stars around us are always a consistent effort from NASA. Mars and the potential exploration of it in the future is still a dream that is very much possible and captivates the minds of space lovers around the globe.  These initiatives and more can be the key to bridging the gap our country has felt among its citizenry. But it may also serve to forge that unity into achievement, just as it did with the moon landing, our country’s greatest achievement. 

Former President George W. Bush described this potential perfectly when he said, “Mankind is drawn to the heavens for the same reason we were once drawn into unknown lands and across the open sea. We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives and lifts our national spirit. So let us continue the journey.”

 This sense of adventure will push our country onward with a shared purpose that has been absent as of late. The goals we set for the solar frontier have the potential to make permanent what we felt on Monday: an undeniably united country. We can choose to continue to be a country where half can’t stand the other half, or we can be a country that celebrates the wonders of life and the universe and seeks to achieve remarkable things in it, for our country and for all mankind.