The Solar Eclipse is an amazing sight to behold. A solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the sun and earth, covering the sun’s light. It’s unique and happens only two to five times a year across the world, but it’s not often that people can see the perfect coverage of the sun, it’s usually only partial. On April 8th, 2024, the solar eclipse was seen in the Las Vegas skies, but it wasn’t a full eclipse, it was only partial.
“Throughout all of my life I never really acknowledged the eclipses until 5th grade which is the very first one that I was able to see with the glasses. Thankfully we had permission though because the glasses were appropriate for our safety in staring straight at the sun since it was a full eclipse. But this year, I was able to see it again, but instead of the full eclipse it was just partial, so it was really bright still,” Trystan Baxter, junior, expresses his excitement about the eclipse.
The sight of the solar eclipse is still wonderful to see. The moon covering the sun darkens part of the earth below temporarily for around 3.5-4 minutes total, so it’s a moment individuals shouldn’t miss. Although only in some parts of America people are able to see it, it’s still considered a national phenomenon. It was estimated that around 32 million people watched it according to NASA, and around 11 million people watched it on YouTube. The reason why the 4/8/24 eclipse is so important is because it’s the last one for North America to see until March 2033.
Jaden Espinueva, sophomore, was able to see the eclipse from the other side of town during school, “I was in class and my teacher handed out some eclipse glasses. Then he took us all outside to see the eclipse and when we saw it (because we’re in Nevada and not fully in range) we saw 50% of the moon covering up the sun. It was really cool to look at because I’d never had the glasses before and I got to see a good view of the sun without burning my eyes.”
Despite Las Vegas locals not being able to see a full eclipse, many other parts of the country like parts of the Southeast and Northeast were in the trail of totality
Destany Cortes, junior, who lives in Alabama stated, “At the time of the eclipse I was walking out of school and was wondering why everyone was looking up with the glasses. I realized it was the eclipse that day and was able to snap a quick picture before I had to wait a couple more years to see the total eclipse again.”
