HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Monday's total solar eclipse was an event witnessed live by millions. Even though North Alabama was outside the path of totality, and despite mostly cloudy conditions during the event's peak, it was still a special moment shared by many.
In Huntsville's Space & Rocket Center, NASA officials held a day full of fun activities, including interactive exhibits and hands-on activities for children to explore the science behind solar eclipses. NASA Heliophysicist Dennis Gallagher was on hand to talk about the eclipse and its astronomical significance in the National Geographic Theater.
"We're 93 million miles away from the sun, so it makes that really big sun look small in the night and the day sky," explained Space & Rocket Center museum education director Joseph Vick, "but our moon sort of perfectly lines up when they are in alignment and it creates a beautiful, beautiful spectacle. If ever you have the opportunity to see it, please, please take that opportunity also."
Students from Decatur's Leon Sheffield Magnet School got on board the STEAM Engine to spend the day learning about the science of eclipses too, with virtual reality demonstrations and interactive lessons on the moon's phases and Earth's rotation.
Meanwhile, another group of Decatur students got a front-row seat to the show from within the path of totality. A band of students, teachers and parents traveled to Cape Girardeau, Mo. to witness the phenomenon. Livestreaming their experience on Facebook Live, students marveled at how quickly the temperatures dropped even in the first minutes of the eclipse. Excitement from the crowd grew palpable during the four-plus minutes of complete totality, during which safety glasses were briefly removed and people shared a unique moment of togetherness.
Arkansas and northeastern New England were reportedly the best sites within the country to witness Monday's eclipse. It will be another 21 years before the United States sees another total solar eclipse on quite the same scale.