DeKalb County solar eclipse watchers gaze through cloudy skies

DeKalb residents were so eager to witness the moon eclipse the sun Monday that the DeKalb Public Library ran out of solar eclipse glasses for its viewing party within minutes.

“We’re very happy with the turnout, to say the least,” said Samantha Hathaway, public relations and events manager for the library. “I don’t think the nation was prepared for this type of demand.”

While the library distributed 60 pairs of glasses, Sycamore and Genoa school districts bought them in bulk for students to view the eclipse during the school day. Glasses sold out far in advance at DeKalb County stores such as Walmart, 7-Eleven, Best Buy and Lowe’s.

In DeKalb, the partial eclipse began at 11:52 a.m., and the sun reached its local maximum coverage, 87.9 percent, at 1:17 p.m. Though views were limited by cloudy skies, eclipse watchers were not deterred to get their best possible glimpse of the cosmic phenomenon.

Jasmine Jackson, 16, watched from the DeKalb library, where she and her mom and brother came prepared with glasses and matching black T-shirts with the ring of an eclipsed sun painted on them.

“To get ready, I just went to some of the programs that the library had with the [Northern Illinois University] STEM people, and I made this shirt, which I thought would be great for the ‘Twilight’ series as well,” Jasmine said.

Angela Johnson, Jasmine’s mother, said she and her children are regulars at the library and were surprised by the level of interest in the event, which occupied two basement meeting rooms and spilled outside during peak viewing moments.

“I figured instead of going to NIU or somewhere else, we would just come and support the library, but I didn’t expect this huge crowd,” Johnson said.

Those who attended the library’s viewing party enjoyed Moonpies, watched NASA’s live stream of the eclipse, and participated in eclipse-themed crafts and math games. Children also made pinhole viewers using a paper plate, aluminum foil and a sheet of paper.

Juliana Marchese, 12, brought a pinhole viewer that she made at home using an empty Lucky Charm’s box.

“You only get to see [an eclipse] once in a long time, so you need to make sure that you see it when you can,” she said.

As the sky darkened over Sycamore Middle School, students eagerly peered out of classroom windows before descending on the school’s lawn to see the eclipse.

Principal James Cleven said the school got 900 pairs of glasses so that each of the 855 students could have their own pair, and staff members shared the rest.

Science teacher Elizabeth Peterson used the opportunity to teach her eighth-graders about using reputable sources to conduct research. Students gathered data from NASA and CNN websites to answer questions about solar eclipses before stepping outside to see one for themselves.

“I’m glad that they got to see at least a minute of it, to have that real-time experience rather than just seeing it online or a simulation,” Peterson said. “I think they’ll remember it.”

She also instructed them on how to properly use their glasses and patiently watch for the eclipse before she led them outside.

“You will see a spectacular site,” she said. “It’ll be exactly like the images you see on the computer and in your research, but it’s real.”

Jacob Bliujus, an eighth-grader in Peterson’s class, joked with a classmate about how “stylish” the eclipse glasses were and said that despite the cloudiness, he still appreciated learning about why and how often eclipses happen.

“I wish I could see it more, but it was really cool, actually,” he said.

Peterson said the experience of having the eclipse glasses inspired students just as much as what they were viewing through them.

“A lot of them had questions about why we have to wear them,” she said. “Just having that tactile tool and going out and trying to see [the eclipse], not seeing it because of the cloud cover, and then seeing it as the clouds shifted, was a good experience for them.”

Monday's total solar eclipse was the first one seen in the U.S. in 26 years and the first seen in the contiguous U.S. in 38 years. It was also the first total eclipse to travel across the U.S. from coast to coast since 1918 and the first seen only in the U.S. since 1776.

The next total eclipse visible in Illinois will be April 8, 2024.