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  • Axios Austin

    What the total solar eclipse looked like in Texas

    By Axios DallasAxios HoustonAxios San AntonioAxios Austin,

    2024-04-08

    The highly anticipated total solar eclipse finally graced Texas with its presence.

    Why it matters: Texas won't be in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse again until 2045 , and that path will include just a small slice of the Panhandle, according to NASA.


    Yes, but: The clouds were pretty thick in some areas, even though statistically Texas had the lowest chances of cloud coverage across the eclipse's U.S. path.

    • The ring of fire was still stunning when it peeked through the clouds, but some of those who traveled to Texas — as many as 1 million people, according to Great American Eclipse — probably hoped to see a little more of the spectacle.

    Here's what we saw across the state:

    Brett and Leesha Baker peered through their telescope at Dick Nichols Park in Southwest Austin. The pair traveled from Utah to experience their second total solar eclipse.

    • "It's a full-body experience," Leesha Baker recalled about the 2017 eclipse. "It's very humbling to have everything go dark."
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4Q05Fk_0sJtCk3700 Brett and Leesha Baker taking in the eclipse. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios

    At Lake Pflugerville Park, north of Austin, the clouds broke enough for good views intermittently leading up to totality. Everyone let out collective "wows" and "aahs" as totality hit.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0MNx3y_0sJtCk3700 Lucky skies at Lake Pflugerville Park. Photo: Megan Stringer/Axios

    Hundreds of people gathered at Hermann Park in Houston, where the Sun was 94% covered — and there was a lot of happy shouting when the eclipse was visible.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=45eVJT_0sJtCk3700
    The crowd at Hermann Park. Photo: Jay Jordan/Axios

    A group of friends drove three and a half hours from Oklahoma City to view the eclipse at Windhaven Meadows Park in Plano.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2bTfEz_0sJtCk3700 Viewers at Windhaven Meadows Park in Plano knew they had to bring inflatables. Photo: Shafaq Patel/Axios

    I-35 was uncharacteristically empty around downtown Austin during the peak of the eclipse.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3WIm0M_0sJtCk3700 The best (you had no traffic) — and worst (you missed the eclipse) — time to be on I-35. Photo: Sami Sparber/Axios

    Students from Austin's Travis Heights Elementary School and their parents cheered "Team Moon!" as totality approached.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0vpHKm_0sJtCk3700
    School paused so parents and their kids could watch the eclipse together. The city's iconic moonlight towers illuminated during totality. Photo: Bob Gee/Axios

    Texas Solar Eclipse Fest was raffling off a Mitsubishi Eclipse in Del Rio.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2WM8UY_0sJtCk3700 An Eclipse for the eclipse. Photo: Madalyn Mendoza/Axios

    Hundreds gathered at the Bath House Cultural Center on White Rock Lake in Dallas to cheer the passing of the clouds in time for a clear view of totality.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4OElWT_0sJtCk3700 The clouds parted just in time at White Rock Lake. Photo: Tasha Tsiaperas/Axios https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0AVITs_0sJtCk3700 The eclipse was amazing in Arlington, even through the clouds. Photo: Courtesy of Joseph Andaya

    Families, couples and groups of friends picnicked at The Colony's Grandscape, north of Dallas.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1LFYFq_0sJtCk3700 Eclipse watchers spreading out at the Grandscape. Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios

    What's next: The next total solar eclipse will occur from Greenland to Spain on Aug. 12, 2026.

    Go deeper: The eclipse across the U.S., including a mass wedding

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