JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – People across Jacksonville turned their heads to the skies to view the partial solar eclipse.
The rare celestial phenomenon drew crowds at several schools in the River City. The University of North Florida hosted a watch party on campus that drew hundreds.
Several classes at Bartram Springs Elementary School also took part in the action as well.
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“It looks like a bright star or a piece of cookie that’s been bitten out of,” student Juliette Sadia said.
“Whenever I was looking up at the sun, I noticed that whenever it came like the moon got more and it kind of looked like a very thick toenail,” student Lily O’Brien said.
The peak time of the eclipse happened during dismissal so teachers made sure students and parents had protective eyewear.
“It looked like a banana in the sky,” student Camden Anderson said.
Kim Wright, principal of Bartram Springs Elementary, said the eclipse was a great way to apply students’ education to the real world.
“They won’t experience this again for a very, very long time, if that, and it definitely was a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to use, to talk about not just the solar eclipse, but other things as related to science,” Wright said.
NASA predicts the next total solar eclipse to cross North America will happen in 2044.