Solar eclipse draws shaded eyes skyward across metro Atlanta

Georgians gathered in parks, playgrounds, sidewalks, schools and wherever they could Monday to watch a rare occurrence: a solar eclipse.

The skies darkened shortly after 3 p.m., which was the height of the eclipse in the region. While it wasn’t a total eclipse, as it was in other parts of the country, the event captivated many area residents.

The Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville welcomed visitors to use its solar telescope and participate in eclipse-themed crafts. Some even got festive treats — mini MoonPie snacks.

In Lawrenceville, Georgia Gwinnett College opened its campus to the community for the eclipse, and hundreds of students, faculty and others residents turned out.

About half an hour before the eclipse began, the pile of safety glasses on the campus’s main lawn was depleted. The library was also giving out glasses, but a sign at the entrance advised they had run out.

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Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Matthew Frier, a freshman, said he was lucky to get a pair of glasses on campus in the morning after a professor recommended checking out the eclipse. His assessment around the eclipse’s peak was simple: “It looks dope.”

”What’s exciting about an eclipse is how rare it is and how hard it is to see,” GCC physics professor Paul Camp said. “Eclipses happen at least twice a year, but they’re very localized phenomena, so you have to be in the right place on the Earth in order to see it.”

Eclipses are also historically significant, Camp said, noting an eclipse in 1919 that was used to verify Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Another famous eclipse happened May 28, 585 B.C.

”In that eclipse, there was the battle of Halys between the Lydians and the Medes, and the eclipse happened right in the middle of the battle. So they figured that was a message from the gods, and they laid their weapons down,” Camp said.

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Daniel Powell, who viewed the eclipse with relatives, said the celestial event holds spiritual significance for him.

“I look at an eclipse as an analogy for life. It’s a point where things are aligning, and that’s something we can all ruminate on and get a deeper meaning from,” Powell said. “To me it’s about harmony and open-mindedness.”

Camp was meant to deliver a brief talk to attendees about the eclipse, but the turnout surpassed everyone at the college’s expectations. There were far more people there than could hear him, even amplified. The college also set up televisions broadcasting the eclipse and a station with card stock and thumbtacks so people could make their own projections.

Chris Pitman, Jan Pitman and Donell Ducote came prepared with equipment to make projections of their own — a metal colander. Close to the eclipse’s peak, light shining through the porous bowl showed as an array of crescents.

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

At Stone Mountain Park, the line for the Summit Skyride was long and buzzing.

On the nearly three-minute ride, more than 825 feet up to the top, Decatur resident Anthony Almond couldn’t shake the feeling of anticipation. He took the day off from running his roadside assistance company to come take in the action.

“I figured I’d come out here and check it out versus sitting on the side of the road,” said Almond, who is into astrology, solar system and Greek mythology.

At around 2 p.m., a few hundred people were on the summit, taking in the view. Groups in tailgate chairs, couples having picnics, kids flying kites and people lying completely flat on the ground while staring into the sky were scattered throughout. Amateur and professional photographers set up for their money shots on tripods, teens played music, picnickers drank from coolers and smoked weed.

All eyes were covered with protective shades, fixated on the giant Pac-Man in the sky. In an hour it would be more of a crescent.

Credit: Jessica Horne

Many metro Atlantans traveled to other parts of the country to see a total eclipse. Georgia Tech’s Astronomy Club chartered a bus to Big Springs, Missouri.

“For me, it was better than anything I imagined or expected,” said senior Ethan Atkinson, the club’s president. “The corona during totality was insane. There were large prominences visible with the naked eye and three planets were visible, including Mercury.”

Credit: Georgia Tech

Metro Atlanta school districts took varying approaches to the spectacle.

The DeKalb County School District announced last month that it would be closed because of the eclipse, giving students and staff an extra day of spring break. The decision drew criticism on social media, with people asking why the decision didn’t come further in advance and why the district didn’t use the eclipse as a classroom learning opportunity.

Cobb County School District announced months in advance that schools would release students early, before the eclipse began.

Clayton County Public Schools embraced the event, holding a regular school day with activities for students to record cloud cover, temperature change and other data during the eclipse. All students and staff received protective eyewear.

Gwinnett County schools stayed open as usual, with some organizing special events for the eclipse. At Harbins Elementary School in Dacula, students got a chance to go outside as shadows started to cover the sun, right before boarding buses and parents’ vehicles to go home for the day. During school, there were food trucks and activities on site to celebrate the occasion.

Back at Stone Mountain Park, DeKalb County middle school teacher Patricia Davis-Alleyne was busy getting selfies, filming videos for her students and their parents that might’ve missed out. The Tucker resident hiked up the mountain around 10 a.m. Before making the hike, she considered going to stay with her son in Dallas, Texas, which was in the path of totality, but flights were too expensive.

“I didn’t know where to go and I didn’t even consider Stone Mountain, but I saw the news this morning and thought, ‘All you’ve got to do is walk up that mountain and you’ll see it. I’m glad I’m here,” she said.