Solar Eclipse Day in Brevard: Viewing from across the Space Coast

It was finally here — the Total Solar Eclipse of 2024!

Brevard County was not in the path of totality, but the Space Coast saw about 62% coverage. The eclipse began in Brevard about 1:48 p.m. The midpoint passed at 3:04 p.m.

Weather cooperated to allow the Space Coast a glimpse of the sun looking like "someone took a bite out of" it, said Ben Jewell as he watched the eclipse from The Avenue Viera.

A team of FLORIDA TODAY reporters and photographers brought you live coverage from around the county.

3:25 p.m. Birthday eclipse for one Brevard woman

Kelly Cobb, of Melbourne, came to the Avenue Viera on Monday to celebrate her 38th birthday.

She and a friend walked out of a nail salon with freshly manicured nails just after 3 pm and noticed several people looking toward the sky.

“We knew (the eclipse) was today but we weren’t prepared with glasses,” Cobb said.

Just then a stranger handed the birthday girl a pair of eclipse glasses.

“It’s amazing,” Cobb said looking at the sun. “Mother Nature is crazy. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad thing that today’s my birthday.”

Cobb’s friend immediately responded and said only good vibes are accepted.

“I’m going with good, it has to be good,” Brittany Schnelle said.

3:25 p.m. This is what peak was like at KSC Visitor Complex

About 3:04 p.m., Delaware North communicator Richard Castellanos updated a crowd of hundreds of solar eclipse viewing spectators at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

“All right. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. If you have those solar viewing glasses, take a look up at the sun,” Castellanos announced.

“We are at our maximum peak coverage here at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex,” he said, eliciting applause and cheers near the Rocket Garden.

3:20 p.m. Brevard seemed to get lucky with eclipse viewing

Brevard seemed to get lucky, although we only had partial coverage. A family member in Rochester, NY, which was in the path of totality said he's looking up at grey cloudy skies right now.

For us, now we just have to wait for the next one when we'll get the full show. That's Aug. 12, 2045.

For those wanting to see what's happening around the nation, here you go.

3:05 p.m. Students young and old say they couldn't wait for Eclipse Day

At Riverfront Park, Nilesh Dubal and his son Param, 11, were ready, toilet paper roll device in hand.

"I'm just excited," Param said. His dad added that Param is interested in astronomy and watched videos about the subject on YouTube.

At Florida Tech, Emily Lohmann, 20, is an astronomy/astrophysics major in her junior year. She chose to down to the Space Coast from Ocala. The school's astronomy program was the deciding factor, as she hopes to work on the university's telescope, which is currently under construction.

3:04 p.m. It's the peak time for Brevard, look up!

3 p.m. It's almost peak Eclipse viewing time. Get outside

Alicia Henson with her children, Oliver, 8, and Ella, 10 (at the bottom of the photo) take in the eclipse at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex rocket garden. They are from Winter Garden.

2:50 p.m. Students at St. Mark's gather at Cocoa Riverfront Park to watch eclipse

Students and staff at St. Mark's Episcopal Academy in Cocoa will be watching the eclipse from Riverfront Park.

Karis James, the school's STEAM teacher, said she's excited for the kids to see the eclipse. The kids have been learning about the moon and tides since the start of the year, and she's looking forward to what will be the first eclipse for many of her students.

"The greatest part is the light bulbs are going off for them," she said. "They can see the connection (to what we've talked about earlier this year) and it's all happening."

While kids will get eclipse glasses, her classes also made viewing devices with toilet paper tubes.

Head of School Justin Smith said he was happy to help facilitate the viewing.

“It’s encouraging to generate a lot of excitement during something you only see every couple of years, particularly in this part of the country,” he said.

2:45 p.m. "My tranquility spot" enhanced by Eclipse viewing in Viera

Anita Mazella, of Melbourne, came to the Avenue Viera to do some leisurely shopping and enjoy lunch. About 2:30 pm she was sitting in the center courtyard area “at my tranquility place to stop and clear my mind.”

Unaware of the natural phenomenon going on overhead, she said she thought it was later in the day and didn’t realize Brevard County would experience 62% coverage.

A passerby let her borrow a pair of eclipse glasses to safely view the sun.

“Wow,” she said “I have never seen this before,” It’s pretty neat, pretty awesome.”

2:40 p.m. Ah, the life of a student on Eclipse day

Florida Tech students paused on Monday to look up. Some went further, lying in the grass and gazing upward, wearing their safety eclipse-viewing glasses, of course.

2:35 p.m. "Bite out of the sun."

Ben Jewell had to stop by the Avenue Viera  for work Monday. He knew a colleague at the Avenue had eclipse glasses so he planned his work day to be at the outdoor shopping mall during the solar eclipse.

He stepped outside, put the glasses on and looked up.

“Wow,” he exclaimed. “It looks so cool, like someone took a bite out of the sun.”

He planned to look at the sun, safely, again over the next hour before getting on with his work day.

2:30 p.m. Enjoying a cookie but caught unaware as Eclipse passes

Bella Istre, of Rockledge, was sitting under a big umbrella outside at The Avenue Viera shortly after 2 pm. The 19 year old was enjoying some Crumbl cookies with friends unaware the eclipse was taking place above them.

“I knew it was happening, I just didn’t realize it was today,” said Istre as a friend, who knew about the event warned her not to look at the sun.

2:28 p.m. From Kenya to Florida Tech, budding astrophysicist loving Eclipse Day

Gayathri Vinil, 19, poses with a telescope. She came from Kenya to study at Florida Institute of Technology. She is a freshman in astronomy/astrophysics.

"I've always wanted to be an astrophysicist," said Vinil. Always interested in astronomy, she chose to come to Florida Tech because it is on the Space Coast and one of the best places to study astronomy and astrophysics, she said.

Today, Vinil is operating one of the many present telescopes with a solar filter to show fellow students the view of the eclipse.

"I'm very excited to see how it looks like during the peak hour which is around 3 p.m.," said Adin.

2:10 p.m. Sun, green grass and the Eclipse: KSC VC visitors taking it in

Dozens of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex guests are sitting and lying in grassy areas next to the Rocket Garden, watching the eclipse progress.

A large portable video screen near a white mockup Apollo capsule is showing NASA TV coverage of the eclipse, with speakers delivering audio commentary.

Nearby, four wooden “sunspotter” devices are using lenses and mirrors to project images of the eclipse onto small white sheets of paper. One projection is accurate enough to show a large sunspot.

2:00 p.m. Florida Tech students get creative to watch eclipse

Students set up a station with a Sun spotter. This instruments projects the image of the eclipse in a safe way. Many people stopped to watch.

The moon is beginning to cover the sun and the students are getting excited.

1:55 p.m. Eclipse glasses sold out across Brevard

Veronica Alonso, of Orlando, was in Melbourne for work when she decided to stop by the Warby Parker location in The Avenue.

“Ah, they don’t have them,” Alonso said as soon as she saw a sign taped to the door of the eyeglass retailer.

The sign informed customers they ran out of eclipse glasses employees were handing out for free.

“I guess we didn’t prepare ourselves, Alonso said. “Maybe someone will have a pair I can borrow.”At least 20 people stopped by this Warby Parker location hoping to snag a last-minute pair of eclipse glasses.

1:40 p.m. Some Brevard residents traveled to see full eclipse

For this quintet of Eclipse 2024 viewers from the Space Coast, a chance to see a total eclipse, inside the path of totality, was something simply too cool to pass up.

So Becky and Mike McAleenan of Cape Canaveral, along with friends Jackie and Alan Petit of Cocoa Beach and their son, Malcolm Petit, headed out toward Arkansas Sunday morning.

This afternoon, they’ll be looking skyward for what could be called a total eclipse of the park.

“At our spot!” Becky shared with FLORIDA TODAY via social media at 12:46 p.m. “Simstown Spring Park, just outside Evening Shade, Arkansas.”

There’s no shortage of sky-and-weather knowledge aboard: Mike is a current launch weather officer for 45th Space Force and a retired USAF meteorologist, while Alan, who worked with Mike for many years, is a retired meteorological equipment specialist.

The McAleenans, Becky said, had been talking about traveling to see totality for a while. But looking at flights, hotels, “and how inflated prices are,” she said, their friend Jackie suggested the families rent an RV. On the road in the 32-foot vehicle, everyone pitched in to decide where they’d wind up.

“They have been tracking the cloud cover for best views, and our plans for where to go have been fluid all along,” Becky said.

With five drivers on board, they made it to Jonesboro, Ark., at 3:30 a.m. Monday, and then on to Evening Shade.

And talk about a small world! Leave it to a solar eclipse to bring together folks who didn't know each other, people also from the Space Coast, right there in Arkansas. Becky and her traveling companions, while talking to others who'd gathered at the park they'd chosen, met Aaron and Lorien Neargarder of Cocoa. The Neargarders, like Becky and her traveling companions, chose that spot for its remoteness.

1:35 p.m. Eclipse pancakes but, alas, no glasses

Add Cracker Barrel off Wickham Road in Viera to the list of places out of eclipse glasses.

A store manager said they haven’t had any for about two weeks. But you can still go there and take advantage of the eclipse pancake deal.

Dine-in customers can receive a free side of pancakes with any entrée purchase, including kids meals all day today. Just ask your server for "eclipse pancakes."

Guests are limited to one side per order and includes only buttermilk pancakes.

1:30 p.m. Florida Tech preparing for solar eclipse event

Luis Quiroga-Nunez, a professor at Florida Tech and director of their observatory, was getting ready to welcome Florida Tech students and alumni for a special (and safe) telescope-powered view of the solar eclipse.

"We have been trying to provide this as a free service to the community," he said.

"Honestly, I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the other various people in the community actually look and be able to get excited about something astronomical happening," said Serena Candia, 24, a senior studying astronomy and astrophysics. "So to me, the most exciting part is watching other people be excited about seeing just how cool it is to get the shadows of the sun."

1:25 p.m. About two dozen wait in shade at Titusville YMCA

About two dozen people were gathered at the Titusville YMCA for the solar eclipse. The event, "Through the Eyes of NASA" featured eclipse viewing glasses and special high-powered telescopes.

1:20 p.m. Hundreds wait at KSC Visitor Complex for eclipse glasses

By 1 p.m., hundreds of Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex guests stood in the sunshine waiting for free eclipse viewing glasses, forming a snaking line perhaps two football fields long.

“The moon will start to creep across the disc of the sun starting at 1:48 this afternoon. So, a little under an hour from now,” Richard Castellanos, a Delaware North communicator, told the crowd using a microphone.

“The maximum that we’re getting here will be at 3:04 this afternoon. Three-oh-four. We’re going to have about 50% of the sun covered by the moon at that time,” Castellanos said.

“And the end of the coverage here is 4:17,” he said.

KSC Visitor Complex personnel began distributing hundreds of paper eclipse glasses from two cardboard boxes atop a black wheeled cart. They urged family members to share one set of glasses.

1:05 p.m. Check out Google right now for some Eclipse fun

You'll thank us if you stop what you're doing right now and go to google.com. See, I told you, it's cute, right?

Google has Eclipse Fun: Google Doodle jumps into solar eclipse fun with animation. Here's when to watch in Florida

1 p.m. Eclipse colors: did you wear red or green?

Green will look very bright against the dim surroundings as the moon covers the sun. Red will seem to fade.

It's not too late. Go change and have a family member change into the other color. For the science behind this, go here.

Florida is not in the path of totality so we're not going to get the full experience but we'll still see partial coverage of the sun.

12:45 p.m. Almost one hour away to start of eclipse

Brevard County is not in the path of totality, but the Space Coast will see about 62% coverage. The eclipse is set to begin in Brevard about 1:48 p.m. The midpoint will be at 3:04 p.m.

We're definitely hearing a lot of excitement from people ready to look skyward.

12:15 p.m. KSC Visitor Complex expecting Eclipse watchers

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is hosting a solar eclipse event, distributing viewing glasses to guests and offering an array of Earth Day vendor booths.

“It’s amazing. Eclipses are really cool, really good scientific instruments,” Will Jarvis, an Astronaut Scholarship Foundation scholar, told a crowd during a morning presentation.

Jarvis is a fifth-year senior studying astronomy/physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He highlighted a trio of eclipse-generated scientific milestones:

• Edmund Halley predicted the path of the 1715 total eclipse in England and is credited with creating the first eclipse map, according to NASA’s eclipse website.

• Pierre Janssen and Sir Norman Lockyer discovered the element helium in 1868 by examining light from an eclipse. Helium is named for Helios, the Greek sun god.

• Observations during the 1919 eclipse confirmed Albert Einstein’s prediction that the sun’s gravity bends the light from stars behind it, like a giant lens.

Here's a pretty photo of the rocket garden pre-eclipse.

11:45 a.m. Eclipse glasses are hard to find in Brevard

We'd hoped to bring you an update of where to find last-minute eclipse glasses. But everyone is telling us they are sold out at most places.

But whatever you do, don't look up at the eclipse without proper protection.

There are some make-it-yourself things you can do but NONE involve looking up at the sun. In every case, your BACK is to the sun and you're creating a kind of pinhole viewer. You do NOT ever look up at the sun without the proper eclipse-viewing glasses. Don't take chances.

11:30 a.m. Getting closer to Eclipse time: weather cooperating

The weather seems to be cooperating in Brevard for the eclipse. There's no chance of rain but we do have some clouds. Here in Merritt Island, though, I'm seeing lots of blue.

Brendan Schaper, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne, said the farther south you go in Brevard, the less cloud coverage you’re likely to have.

“North of Melbourne is where you will encounter some of the higher cloud coverage, and it doesn’t look like that will move a whole lot,” Schaper said. “Portions of southern Brevard County might be situated a little better.”

Will I see Eclipse: Weather for eclipse day: Will we be able to see it in Brevard or will clouds block it?

11:05 a.m. Do Eclipse Doughnut calories on Eclipse Day count?

Krispy Kreme is partnering with Oreo to offer the total solar eclipse doughnut. The glazed doughnut is dipped in black chocolate icing, sprinkled with silver sprinkles and piped with a buttercream made with Oreo cookie pieces and topped with an Oreo cookie​.

10:55 a.m. As we wait for Eclipse in Brevard, what to expect?

Just like in 2017 for that Great American Eclipse, Florida wasn't in the path of totality then either. A total solar eclipse is when the moon totally blocks out the sun — some areas of the U.S. will get that today.

We'll get about 62 % coverage today. Still, you need to wear your glasses when you look up or your eyes will be damaged. The eclipse is set to begin in Brevard about 1:48 p.m. The midpoint will be at 3:04 p.m.

Here's what we saw in 2017 to give you an idea of what to expect today.

And for those who can hang around, Florida, and in particular Brevard, will be in the path of totality for the solar eclipse in ... wait for it, Aug. 12, 2045.

10:30 a.m. Don't forget your eclipse viewing glasses

Even though Brevard is not in the path of totality, it’s still imperative to wear proper eyewear when viewing the eclipse. You're looking up at the sun, after all.

Eclipse glasses are thousands of times darker than regular sunglasses (which are not enough to protect your eyes during an eclipse) to block nearly all visible, infrared and ultraviolet light. But eclipse glasses should not be used if they are torn or scratched. The approved glasses for solar eclipse viewers are labeled with ISO 12312-2 after the International Organization of Standardization, which was adopted nine years ago.

When is the Total Solar Eclipse and Can I see it from Brevard?

The eclipse is set to begin in Brevard about 1:48 p.m. The midpoint will be 3:04 p.m. And yes, you'll see it — not the day-turned-to-night that those in the path of tonality will see. But you should see just over 1/2 the sun to 3/4 of the sun obscured by the moon.

Some cloud cover but enough breaks to see Eclipse

The National Weather Service says the weather should cooperate enough to show us a glimpse of the eclipse (which will just be partial here as we're not in the path of totality).

Get your full guide to all things Eclipse in Brevard

Here's where to go for all the information you need about today's eclipse.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 2024 solar eclipse, Space Coast, Florida: Photos, reactions