Emory's 2017-18 academic year got off to a unique start Monday as students gathered on the university's Atlanta and Oxford campuses to watch the first partial solar eclipse to grace the area in decades. Both campuses experienced more than 97 percent obscuration.

Students, faculty and staff gathered in multiple locations on Emory's Atlanta campus. Incoming students in the Class of 2021 took a break from Orientation activities to come together on the university Quadrangle, where they were joined by other faculty, staff and students.

At the Math and Sciences Center, eclipse watchers gathered on the roof to view the spectacle through solar telescopes, along with the special eclipse glasses. The Emory Police Department also hosted a viewing at the Student Activity and Academic Center on the Clairmont Campus.

On Emory's Oxford College campus in Oxford, Georgia, students, faculty and staff converged at the Oxford Science Building for an eclipse party complete with music, a solar telescope and sun-themed snacks and drinks.