JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – With eclipse glasses in hand, the crowd grew at the Natural Science Museum as people decided they wanted to share the historic occasion with others in the area.
“It is beautiful,” said one woman as she gazed up to the sky with her glasses on. “It is gorgeous.”
Sprinkles and cloud cover had many at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science wondering if they’d be able to do more than see a live feed from elsewhere.
“We prayed, and God opened up the clouds,” said another participant.
Activities and educational opportunities added to the excitement leading up to the big moments.
“Here in Jackson, we’ve got 80%, which has nothing to shake a stick at,” said TJ Drummond, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Visitor Service Manager.
The only thing that could fully prepare people for what they saw was past experience.
“I’ve seen a total eclipse once, but it was years ago in another country,” explained Ellen Harvey McLean. “And I think this is possibly my last chance to see one. I don’t know if I’ll be here in 2045. So I wanted to try to enjoy this.”
Weather data was collected every 15 minutes at the museum starting at 11 a.m. The temperature started dropping around 1:15 p.m. and went from 73.3 to 71.9 degrees at 1:58 p.m., right at totality for Jackson. Within a couple of minutes, it had already started rising again. It was not only history but a somewhat spiritual experience for some.
“It was just magnificent,” said Ginger Cocke. “You know, God’s creation is wonderful and to know that the sun and the moon and the Earth are all aligned together at this point this day in time. It’s been an amazing experience.”
It was history witnessed by young children.
“In 20 years, I’ll come back here and see the solar eclipse,” noted Carli Vaughns. “And right here in this spot. I’ll stand right here.”
Others brought multiple generations to the viewing.
“We had an opportunity to take some time to spend this moment with my mother, who’s 91 years old,” said Wendy Smooth. “And so it was really important to have her have the full experience of seeing it, and as soon as she saw it, she lit up and said, ‘Oh, my, it’s just marvelous.’”
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