Astronomy and Cheerios

Apparently Asteria—Greek goddess of the stars—did not take into consideration that August 21st was right in the middle of my busiest season of the year. So, since I could not make the trip to Casper, Wyoming or one of the other places along the line of totality of the solar eclipse crossing North America, I went to Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn and observed how others were taking in the astronomical event.

I learned a lot about common cereal interests among locals there. It turns out most people like round oats like Cheerios and Honey Nut O’s. Some wanted bigger “screens” for their pinhole viewers and makeshift solar eclipse goggles. There were large packing boxes, cylindrical cardboard covers, and even a very large wooden contraption that drew lines of people to take in the celestial view.

Every now and then I turned my gaze up to the sky where the sun and moon crossed paths.

My fifth grade teacher, Ms. Kramer, forced our class to not only stay in the classroom, but in our seats while she looked out her window to see the last solar eclipse within my reach. Not to be deterred this time, I went out to experience the magic of a partial solar eclipse right in my hometown of NYC. What I found was a memorable people watching experience. The pure awe and curiosity was palpable. How did you experience the solar eclipse of 2017?