The parking lot was full and so was East Cobb Park on an atypical Monday. The first solar eclipse to pass over the United States in nearly 100 years could be spotted—at least partially—in sunny, clear skies over East Cobb, and many took off from work and school to take in the spectacle.
While some schools allowed their students to witness the event outside, some cancelled plans late, unable to verify the safety standards of special viewing glasses purchased for the occasion.
Down the street on Roswell Road, at least one East Cobb business closed early due to the eclipse.
At the park, spectators tested out their glasses beforehand, and got a little excited when some clouds covered the sky minutes before the arrival of the moon.
The front quad of East Cobb Park looked like it was a weekend, with picnickers and sun-gazers scattered about in anticipation.
Right around 2:35, with the eclipse only a minute away, nearly all heads in the park craned skyward, as the moon partially passed over the sun, momentarily darkening an otherwise bright day over East Cobb.
With metro Atlanta not located in the eclipse’s “Path of Totality,” there weren’t many “oohs” and “aahs” coming from spectators at the park. But their attention was totally focused on the sun for the two or three minutes of partial eclipse visibility.
Moments after the eclipse had moved on, streaking toward its final U.S. destination near Charleston, S.C., East Cobb Park returned to its usual Monday afternoon look.
(East Cobb News photos by Wendy Parker)
