Even though Utah was not in the path of totality, residents still gathered to view what they could of Monday’s solar eclipse.
Dozens came to the Clark Planetarium’s viewing party at Pioneer Park in downtown Salt Lake City. There were games, free glasses, high-powered binoculars and telescopes.
Clouds obscured much of the sky during the two hours it took for the moon to traverse the sun, so there was a lot of waiting around for the perfect moment.
“We can’t control Mother Nature, as much as we would like,” joked Jayceen Walker, the planetarium’s education specialist.
But when the view was clear, cheers rang out among the eclipse watchers. From toddlers to adults on their lunch breaks, the excitement was the same.
At its peak, about 50% of the sun was covered by the moon.
“It's like a cookie which got bit out of. That's what it looks like to me,” said eight-year-old Lexi James, who was there with her grandma Lisa Mason.
“The last time I did one was in 1979. I was [Lexi’s] age,” Mason said.
Utah experienced an annular eclipse, known as a ring-of-fire eclipse, in October of 2023, and also saw around 90% obscurity during the Great American Eclipse of 2017.
But while Utah has been eclipse-rich of late, most of the time solar events are difficult, if not nearly impossible, to experience.
“The Earth is covered with so much water. Most of them happen over [the] ocean. So unless you're in an ocean liner, you're not going to see them every 16 months,” Walker said.
If you missed this one, you’ll have to wait a while for another chance. The next solar eclipse visible in Utah will happen in 2045.
Walker said she is already planning on it.
“I'll be 82. I'll be here. I probably won't be working for the planetarium at 82, but I will still be here to see it.”
