Many of us had our eyes to the sky on Monday afternoon to check out the solar eclipse.
It had been seven years since the last solar eclipse – and some local residents made the trip south to see it in its totality. Carrie McNamara of Ryan traveled to Texas with friends to witness it in person (photo below).
Total solar eclipse as seen in path of totality from Texas
And though it was only a partial solar eclipse in Iowa with 87% of the sun covered by the moon, it was still a sight to behold if you had those special eclipse glasses.
The special glasses could be purchased at some local stores – and some local libraries were offering them for free. Angie Shere, the Assistant Director at the Manchester Public Library, says quite a few people came in to pick up a pair.
The library saved around one hundred pairs for the people coming for Monday’s solar eclipse watch party on the library grounds. Peggy and Hank Bramman from Dundee didn’t want to miss it.
The Brammans say seeing the total solar eclipse seven years ago was absolutely incredible.
But even with a partial solar eclipse in Iowa on Monday, the sky took on a slightly darker hue and the air turned noticeably cooler during the eclipse’s peak at 2:02 pm (top photo).
A Texas couple who were in Manchester for work were excited to see it.
Two friends from Manchester and Earlville decided to set up their lawn chairs and check out the eclipse.
The Manchester Public Library was showing a NASA live stream from the totality zone, with families taking part in kids’ activities too.
Shere says it’s important for the library to be a place where the community gathers and experiences something special – like the solar eclipse – together.
August 23, 2044 will be the next solar eclipse in the United States. And if you want to experience the total solar eclipse like Carrie did on Monday in Texas, her advice is to go for it.
You can find photos from Monday’s solar eclipse – both locally and nationally – on the KMCH Facebook page.
Partial solar eclipse as seen through the clouds from Strawberry Point
Partial solar eclipse as seen in Iowa through special eclipse glasses
photos courtesy of Janelle Tucker/KMCH and KMCH Facebook followers
