Thousands experience solar eclipse from Kennedy Space Center

First eclipse viewing since 2017, last until 2044

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – A few thousand people leaving Kennedy Space Center on Monday can put away their special glasses for the next 20 years until the next solar eclipse.

The visitor complex said Monday’s attendance rivaled crowds who watched the 2017 eclipse, the last partial solar eclipse in Florida.

One of Monday’s guests was Will Jarvis, a student at the University of Wisconsin with a scholarship funded by nonprofit Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

Jarvis, an aspiring astrophysicist, answered questions from other guests about the eclipse.

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“As you look at the part of the sun that’s been eclipsed you can see the nice, little crescent shape of the moon as it passes in front of it, and if you got really good eyes, you might even be able to strain and use your inverted vision and notice a couple little ridges on the surface of the moon,” Jarvis told News 6 reporter James Sparvero. “Those are valleys and mountains that if you have really, really good vision, you might be able to see a couple of them.”

Also in attendance to view the celestial event were children on school field trips.

Fifth graders from Sunset Park Elementary School in Windermere said it was a fun experience.

“It looks like an eaten cookie,” a student described the eclipse.

The next solar eclipse in the United States won’t happen until 2044.

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