The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas hosted a solar eclipse party in the plaza, inviting thousands of people to experience the eclipse together with the guidance of astronomers.
An hour before the gates opened outside the Perot Museum of Nature and Science's Great North American Solar Eclipse event, Jean Martin and Christopher Erickson lined up for the final leg of the latest solar eclipse journey.
“We're from the San Francisco Bay Area and we came here just for this,” Martin said.
Monday was their second total solar eclipse experience. In 2017, the couple traveled to Oregon and said they couldn't pass up the chance to see this sight again.
“We felt like the universe was putting on a show and reminding us of the beauty of space and Earth and life,” Martin said. “It was just amazing.”
Watch an 8-minute time-lapse of the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024 at the Perot Museum in Dallas, Texas.
Thousands of people gathered at Perot's watch party outside the museum in downtown Dallas. Astronomers from Carnegie Science in Pasadena, California, mingled with the crowd to answer questions and provide guidance.
Jack Minard of Maryland said he attended the Perot event because of the opportunity to connect with scientists.
“This is an area that interests me,” Minard said. “This is quite an opportunity, to say the least.”
Perot organizers said the event took at least two years to prepare. Tickets were sold out by February.
Thick clouds hovered over downtown Monday morning, threatening to obscure visibility.
“I was watching the weather forecast like a hawk, and everyone who lives here, is from here, everyone I talked to said the weather changes 10 times a day. ” laughed Dr. Jeff Rich, a Carnegie Science astronomer and outreach coordinator.
The clouds parted as the solar eclipse began. As the moon hid the sun, the crowd seemed to quiet down. The temperature dropped and the lights flickered on the skyscrapers.
“This is amazing,” the man said, looking up. “It's pitch black outside, too. This is wonderful.”
The total time of 3 minutes and 52 seconds nearly brought Rhonda Coleman to tears.
“It was magical. It just makes you realize how small we are,” Coleman said. “I'm at the point where I'm about to cry. It was so beautiful.”
