Ritu Jha–
Indian Americans in Texas, like millions of other Texans got to see a total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8. No wonder, then, that they were super excited. According to NASA, the Monday event was the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2044. It began over the south Pacific Ocean and was visible in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
San Antonio, Texas resident Shan Justus (who shot the solar eclipse pictures above) called it “historic”, and said he was preparing to watch for the past week. “I found myself surrounded in a unique spectacle, one that I had never before encountered and may never have the opportunity to witness again.”
He described the eclipse to indica: “The morning sky was shrouded in thick clouds, casting doubt upon the possibility of experiencing this extraordinary occurrence. Despite the persistent cloud cover during the peak of the eclipse, I was fortunate enough to glimpse remarkable sights and immortalize them through the lens of my iPhone.”
He added that it was a “truly monumental event.” Justus said he decided to stay at home, while hundreds of others decided to view it from nearby parks. “I decided to experience this wonder from my backyard.” He lives in the Hill Country area, and as per the forecast, they had a greater duration of total darkness.
“My son’s school was shut for the day, and both of us set up outdoor chairs and tables, and experienced this great once-in-a-lifetime event,” he said. He said he bought three protective glasses; one each for himself and his son, and the third one to take pictures using his iPhone.
Ravi Katiyar from Dallas was another Texas resident who joined 500 others to watch the totality. He with his wife went to Andrew Brown Park in the city of Coppell in Dallas County, Texas, where the city administration had organized an event for people to watch the solar eclipse.
The eclipse began at 1:40 pm local time and ended at 1:44 pm. “I had bought glasses for such an event earlier from Amazon. It was an amazing experience,” Katiyar told indica.
He said, ‘It suddenly became dark like dusk, but not completely dark like midnight. It was almost dark. People sat at the park where I was as if it was night already. This is the first time I saw the celestial event unfold. We were chatting with friends when the eclipse started.”
Like Justus, Katiyar feared whether the clouds will diminish the experience. “The sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds, before the skies cleared and the eclipse started,” he said. It was like a dent in the sun on the right side, and then slowly the moon just eclipsed the star. It was a historic event for us as we may not get to see it ever again in our lifetime.”
Katiyar’s wife Dipti said, “It was a rare and beautiful sight. The weather got cooler after totality. The crescent shape is always associated with the moon but this time we got to see the sun in a crescent shape.”
