BOSTON (WHDH) - Dozens of people gathered at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to catch a glimpse of the partial solar eclipse that was visible high above Boston Wednesday.
The MIT Astrogazers set up special solar-filtered telescopes that gave spectators a closer look as the moon covered about 16 percent of the sun in Massachusetts. The Astrogazers are a group of graduate students, majority in the MIT Astrophysics division, who take telescopes around the Boston area to give the public free access to viewing the cosmos.
“We don’t get totality here, unfortunately, but to be able to see this celestial event in a way that’s so approachable, and the way that everybody in the community can enjoy it, especially when you have the right gear, is a really special opportunity,” said Joe Diaz, who viewed the eclipse.
The best view of the phenomenon was in the path of totality that cut through parts of Iceland, northern Spain, and northeastern Portugal. In the United States, Maine got the best view.
“As the moon was coming in, I could see the ruggedness of the moon’s surface. You could see the little craters and the little peaks in there, so that’s always pretty cool,” said Nikita Saini, of the University of Maine Versant Power Astronomy Center and Maynard Jordan Planetarium.
The eclipse lasted only 90 minutes, but viewers said it was more than enough to ignite curiousity and excitement that will last much longer.
“It’s great to be able to see the universe at work here,” said David DePalma, a member of the MIT Astrogazers.
“You can really enjoy seeing the world moving through the universe in a way that is demonstrative,” Diaz said.
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