EL PASO, Texas (KTEP) - Isela Kessler and her two grandchildren looked into their solar eclipse sunglasses and with smiles on their faces said “there it is!”
The somewhat cloudy sky had over 100 visitors nervous about whether they could see the partial solar eclipse on Monday. Small breaks in the cloud cover provided relief to the many who were eager to witness the cosmic event.
They all gathered at a courtyard and small grass field at the El Paso Community College Mission del Paso campus in Far East El Paso. It was one of other viewing parties across the city where El Pasoans caught a glimpse of the eclipse.
Dozens of telescopes, big and small, aimed at the sun as lines of people waited their turn to take a close look at the rare spectacle. As the moon began to block the sun’s light on the Earth, many put on their solar eclipse glasses to see.
The partial eclipse reached its peak a little after noon when the moon and sunlight created a crescent shape.
“It’s the first time I actually take part in something like this,” Kessler said. “I never have.”
Educators at the college campus led experiments and guided their students through the eclipse. Staff from other science departments at EPCC showcased their programs for the public.
Allison Bruce, an instructor with EPCC’s physics department, helped eclipse viewers use a large telescope equipped with a filter for the sun’s light. She adjusted the telescope’s position and guided users as they looked into a small viewfinder.
“I can get the full sun in the viewfield and it has some really nice sunspots,” she said.
The cities of Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio were in the path of totality for this year’s solar eclipse. The next one to occur in the U.S. is expected to happen in 20 years on August 23, 2044, according to NASA.
