Eclipse casts excitement over Delaware

The light dimmed and temperatures dropped briefly over Delaware on Monday as much of the state looked up to observe a celestial rarity.

Thousands of Delawareans congregated at local parks, in backyards and across public spaces to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse. 

“It's history. It's a really cool thing. It's science," said Roaine Steblai, a Bank of America employee who took watched the moon partially blot out the sun from Rodney Square in Wilmington. "If we don't experience it, then are we living?"

The moon slowly began to pass directly between earth and the sun shortly after 1 p.m. By 2:45, the eclipse reached its peak in Delaware with the moon covering some 80 percent of the sun from Delaware’s vantage point into the heavens. 

Jaxson Kopp, 12, of Magnolia, described what he saw when he donned his viewing glasses as “awesome.”

“I actually saw a little block going over the sun,” he said. “I really wanted to see it because I’ve never seen one. And I may not ever get to see another one.”

The anticipation of the eclipse was a national phenomenon. This is the first time in almost a century that a total solar eclipse traveled from coast to coast, allowing people in all 50 states to see a part of it. 

The First State was outside of the "path of totality," and residents here saw the moon cover about 80 percent of the sun's diameter. For some, the event didn’t live up to the hype.

"I've seen one total eclipse in my lifetime. This is the second, but it's not total here," said Sudhir Razdan from Rodney Square. "It's underwhelming. It's OK. If it was total, that would be something different."

For some, it was a chance to come together to celebrate and learn more about the movement of earth’s most prominent heavenly bodies. About 30 people came out to the Mt. Cuba Observatory to watch the celestial event. 

"I really wanted to see an eclipse because this is the first time I'm ever going to," said 12-year-old Delaney Bowersox, who was the reason her family was at the Hockessin observatory.  

Experts predicted that this will be the most-watched eclipse of all time.

More than 500 people came to Brandywine Creek on Monday, said Lisa Watt, interpretive programs manager for the park.

Watts added that the office has fielded hundreds of phone calls in the past couple of weeks. A handful of people earnestly asked the park to reschedule the viewing party since it was during the work week. 

Wilmington resident Lynn King began thinking about her solar eclipse plans six months ago. The Delaware Astronomical Society member brought her 8 inch Dobsonian telescope to Brandywine Creek State Park to look at the eclipse early Monday afternoon. 

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King, wearing jeans with moons patches stitched on them and star-printed socks, hopes the eclipse will inspire more girls to get excited about science, technology, engineering and math careers.

"And old girls, too," she said.

Eye protection is key when observing a solar eclipse. When Jonah Cerri, of Felton, got the last of the 500 solar eclipse viewing glasses Monday at the free viewing party at the Delaware AeroSpace Education Foundation in Smyrna, a collective moan could be heard from those behind him.

More than a thousand attended the event.

Cerri said he waited in line for an hour to get the glasses and felt very lucky to get the last ones. There were still hundreds of people still in line when the glasses ran out.

“It’s kind of crazy,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go into space and I would if I could, so this is very exciting to see.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing and I knew I had to go because I don’t know if I will be able to see it again.”

Others were as interested in relaxing as the eclipse itself. 

Jane Orescan, of Bear, came to the Smyrna event first for the Painted Stave new whiskey release, but relaxed in her reclining chair drinking a beer and watching the eclipse.

“How often do you get to drink a beer in a public place and watch history unfold,” she said. “This is an amazing event and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a solar eclipse. It’s very cool.”

The short supply of glasses also sparked creativity among many sky gazers. 

Wilmington’s Rodney Square was playing host to dozens of business people who'd flooded out of their offices by 2:30 p.m. for a glimpse of the eclipse at its apex.

Some came with shoeboxes rejiggered to capture the sun inside. Others pulled flimsy-but-dark glasses from their pockets. The rest begged and borrowed from them.

Under the shadow of Caesar Rodney, 15-year-old Justin George was the first to show up specifically for the sun.

The teen always has been interested in astronomy, and he spent part of his morning rigging a Cheerio's box into a pin-hole camera. But the tin foil in the box ripped before the moon had inched into view, ruining its effectiveness as a tool.

But he brought backup — four pairs of sunglasses taped together.

"Rodney Square is just a very open area, and I can look all across the sky," George said. "Just to see this phenomenon, I thought it was a really good opportunity."

When the eclipse hit its peak at Brandywine Creek, the weather got noticeably cooler and crickets were chirping. But the sky remained bright blue.

Witnessing the solar eclipse made some viewers excited for the next North American solar eclipse in 2024. Linda Hoeben, of Salisbury, Maryland, said she’s thinking of hosting a viewing party for the celestial event. 

“Maybe I’ll make a moon pie,” she said. 

For some, the rare event was a chance to not only look up but to look back.

Susan Gredone, 72 of Long Neck, was on a bluff overlooking Delaware Bay. A short ways away, there’s a bench memorializing her late husband. She said there’s no place she’d rather be. 

"If he was here, this is where we would be," she said. "This is our favorite spot."

Reporting from Adam Duvernay, Jerry Smith, EstabanParra and Gray Hughes contributed to this article.

Contact Meredith Newman at (302) 324-2386 or at mnewman@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @merenewman.