Clear skies allow Wichitans to see rare solar eclipse
It wasn’t a total eclipse of the sun in Wichita Falls, but it was enough to elicit some oohs and ahhs.
Viewing the eclipse had been an iffy proposition for days as the National Weather Service predicted the possibility of clouds obscuring the event, but only a few wisps and contrails streaked the otherwise clear sky when the time came on Monday.
Several hundred people gathered at Park Central downtown to watch the rare event. Most wore special glasses to protect their eyes as they watched the moon cover a portion of the midday sun. Some schools in the city also allowed students to go outside and watch.
The trajectory of the total eclipse was east of Wichita Falls as the phenomenon moved southwest to northeast across Texas, bringing near total darkness to the delight of large crowds in Dallas.
Still, the shadow was enough to darken the sky in North Texas to an evening shade for a few minutes and cause a notable dip in the temperature.
The eclipse began crossing the U.S. about noon and reached maximum in Wichita Falls about 1:30 p.m. From here, the path moved on across the country, exiting in Maine.
Partial solar eclipses and lunar eclipses are more common, but U.S. citizens won’t see another total solar eclipse until 2044.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: North Texans see solar eclipse
