Vermonters Gaze Skyward, Enthralled by Eclipse

Even though Vermont sits well outside the "zone of totality" for Monday's nationwide solar eclipse, the partial view of the spectacle still drew great enthusiasm.

At the Fletcher Free Library in downtown Burlington, a large crowd, including many families, gazed skyward with protective glasses to witness the event.

Some at the gathering used kitchen colanders and shoeboxes with holes punched in them to project images of the sun on paper as the moon obscured it.

"I don't even know how big the universe is," elementary schooler Nick Forguites said, reflecting on the significance of the solar event.

"It looks like cheese," another young child, Lily McArthur, observed. "Because it's really, like, yellow."

The rare alignment of the sun and moon had a group of friends aligning their schedules to be exercising in Colchester during the eclipse.

Five women participated in a "virtual race" with other runners around the country, raising money for the National Parks Service.

They had their special black-out-lenses in hand to check out the spectacle during breaks and after the race.

"Safety first," runner Sybil Keefe said of her protective glasses.

Brian Drourr, a Burlington photographer who specializes in shots of the night sky, wanted to be where the eclipse viewing would be the best, so he traveled to South Carolina to capture images of the total eclipse.

"This is preparation for all the other eclipses to come," Drourr told necn via FaceTime from South Carolina.

Drourr said he is already excited for 2024, when another solar eclipse will put northern Vermont squarely in the moon's shadow.

"When it's your home and when it's right in your backyard, it's even more special," Drourr said.

That more significant solar event for Vermont will be April 8, 2024.

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