Okay, so, about that eclipse in Palm Beach. I got wind of this thing happening on April 8th, and since I am in Palm Beach County, I thought, “Why not check it out?” Turns out a lot of other folks had the same idea.
I heard that the Cox Science Center was teaming up with some folks called the Marmot Observatory Team to let people watch the eclipse. Sounded pretty cool, and I figured it would be safer than staring directly at the sun. So I grabbed my sunglasses just in case, and headed over there.
When I got to the Science Center, there were already tons of people milling around. Families, couples, solo eclipse enthusiasts like me—everyone was buzzing with excitement. I paid the entry fee—totally worth it, by the way—and made my way to where the observatory was set up.
Inside, it was even more packed. The Marmot Observatory Team had these huge telescopes, and they were letting people take turns looking through them. The line was crazy long, but I didn’t mind waiting. I mean, how often do you get to see a partial solar eclipse up close?
While I was waiting, I struck up a conversation with the people around me. Everyone was super friendly, sharing tips on the best way to view the eclipse and talking about past eclipses they’d seen. I even met a couple of amateur astronomers who had their own fancy equipment set up. They were kind enough to let me take a peek through their telescopes, which was awesome.
Showtime!
Finally, it was my turn at the big telescope. I leaned in, put my eye to the eyepiece, and there it was! The moon slowly creeping across the sun, taking a big ol’ bite out of it. It was surreal. You could see the details of the moon’s surface, the jagged edges where it met the sun—it was mind-blowing.
I spent a good chunk of time just observing, taking it all in. It’s one thing to see pictures, but experiencing it in real-time is something else entirely. I even managed to snap a few (not-so-great) photos through the telescope with my phone. Hey, I tried!
After I’d had my fill at the telescope, I wandered around the Science Center some more. They had all sorts of exhibits set up about eclipses and space in general. I learned a bunch of stuff I never knew before. Did you know that the temperature drops during an eclipse? I could feel it getting cooler outside as more of the sun was covered.
The whole experience was pretty unforgettable. It was way more than just looking at the sun through a telescope. It was about being part of a shared experience, feeling that sense of wonder with everyone else around you. It was a good day, a really good day.
