PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Millions of spectators along a narrow corridor stretching from Mexico to the U.S. to Canada witnessed Monday’s total eclipse, and those in South Florida saw a partial eclipse.
Local 10 News reporter Andrew Perez was in Dallas, Texas, where the moon started to cover the sun at 1:23 p.m. EST, with total coverage beginning at 2:40 p.m. for four around minutes.
In South Florida, we began seeing a partial eclipse at 1:47 p.m. with a mid-eclipse peaking at 3:02 p.m. The sun was be back in full view by 4:02 p.m.
WATCH A STREAM OF THE ECLIPSE BELOW:
Local 10 News reporter Christina Vazquez was outside Zoo Miami Monday, where Southern Cross Astronomers had professional solar equipment arranged in front of the ticket office where people could view the eclipse.
“I wanna see how the animals react because that would be kind of interesting,” Anne-Marie Tomlinson, who is visiting from England said earlier in the day. “Because we’ve seen it in England before – the solar eclipse – and it freaks out the birds.”
Zoo Miami spokesman and wildlife expert Ron Magill spoke about the eclipse’s effect on animals on Good Morning America, saying animals indeed may react differently during the eclipse.
“They’ve seen some changes in the past,” he said. “For instance, birds might stop flying and they might stop singing. On the flip side, you might have an owl start going ‘coo-coooo, coo-coooo.’ You hear, maybe, crickets start calling, fireflies might just start to light up. Remember, the sun is the clock for animals, so that’s what gets them going, but it’s such a short amount of time.”
Local 10′s Saira Anwer, meanwhile, was at the Fox Observatory at Markham Park in Sunrise where four $20,000 telescopes with special filters had been set up for the public to view the eclipse.
She said people would probably only get 10 seconds at each telescope since the lines were expected to be long.
Eclipse glasses weren’t available at the park, so people were encouraged to bring theirs if possible.
The best weather Monday was expected at the tail end of the eclipse in Vermont and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
It promised to be North America’s biggest eclipse crowd ever, thanks to the densely populated path and the lure of more than four minutes of midday darkness in Texas and other choice spots. Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting.
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South Florida eclipse viewing events:
Phillip & Patricia Frost Museum of Science:
Frost Science invites guests to celebrate the partial solar eclipse, beginning at noon Monday with special programming in the Frost Planetarium and across the museum to learn about the science and history of eclipses.
Solar eclipse glasses will be available for purchase in the Science Store.
Museum entrance prices range from $22.95 for children 4-11, to $29.95 for adults.
Florida International University:
A public viewing event at FIU’s Stocker AstroScience Center will be held from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. The Center is located at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus.
Zoo Miami:
Southern Cross Astronomers will have professional solar equipment arranged in front of the Zoo Miami ticket office. Certified solar glasses will be available. While this viewing is on Zoo Miami property, it is not sponsored or hosted by the zoo.
Museum of Discovery and Science:
The Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) in Fort Lauderdale will be serving as an eclipse viewing site. Free eclipse glasses will be available (while supplies last) or they can be purchased in the museum’s Explore Store. Museum entrance fees range from $22 for children between 2-12 to $27 for adults.
Fox Observatory at Markham Park:
The South Florida Amateur Astronomers group is hosting a free eclipse viewing event at Fox Observatory. Fox Observatory will have several telescopes with the proper equipment to safely view the eclipse so that the public can get an up close view of this rare event.