TYLER, Texas — Hundreds of people within the East Texas community came out to experience the once in a lifetime eclipse at Tyler Junior College.
"It’s something that if you’ve never seen before, is truly breathtaking and is one of the most beautiful and natural phenomena that you can witness," TJC's Earth and Space Science Center Director Dr. Beau Hartweg said.
Excitement among spectators was truly second to none.
For an event that’s been on the calendar for years and won’t happen again for years to come, the community grabbed their glasses and was excited and ready to view this once in a lifetime event.
“I noticed how dark it was, you could see the clear outline of the sun. That was a very unique experience and I hope everybody got to see that. I was calling my grandparents on the phone making sure they were seeing it too," a TJC student said.
It was an event that won't occur in Smith County again for over 300 years. Regardless, those that experienced it Monday will never forget it.
“It was a very special thing to see and hopefully it will inspire people to have an appreciation of nature and everything like that. It was really an incredible thing to witness," one spectator said.