Solar Eclipse Photos Show Hundreds United In Awe At MD Watch Party

CATONSVILLE, MD — Marylanders looked to the sky for Monday's solar eclipse.

A watch party drew hundreds of students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Attendee Joe Hoskins said the eclipse made the sun look "more like it was a moon than a sun."

The eclipse lasted from 2:05 p.m. to 4:33 p.m. when the moon passed between the Earth and the sun. Peak coverage was at 3:21 p.m.

Maryland wasn't in the path of totality, which stretched from Texas to Maine, but the state still saw quite the show.

Reduced sunlight left the sky noticeably dimmer. A slight chill fell over the air with less warmth from the sun.

Hoskins remembers the 2017 eclipse, which covered about 80 percent of the sun. He was more impressed with this year's 88 percent coverage, however.

"This one was a lot more drastic," said Hoskins, a senior computer engineering major. "I could actually see a lot more."

Hoskins, a commuter, said this was the biggest crowd he'd ever seen at the college.

"UMBC is a pretty big commuter campus," said Nolan Smith, a senior mechanical engineering major. "There's a lot of people out here. It's really nice to see everybody together."

The eclipse transformed the grassy Erickson Field into a springtime bash. The lively crowd erupted in cheers as clouds cleared moments before peak coverage.

"It's very lively right now," Nadine Smith, a senior information systems major, said 10 minutes before peak coverage. "Everybody's looking excited, having fun. I'm having a good time."

Students threw footballs, tossed frisbees and kicked soccer balls. A DJ blasted pop and hip-hop tunes. Spectators chowed on free snacks and lounged on blankets.

"I really haven't seen this many people outside at once, so it's like a little party on school," said Rachel Jones, a junior public health and sociology major.

Eclipse watchers posed for photos with friends and snapped pictures through their viewing glasses.

The university distributed free glasses to everybody who gathered outside the student commons. The line for glasses stretched about 500 feet long and required a 10- to 15-minute wait.

"It was a lot better because I had glasses," Nolan Smith said. "Last time almost burned my retinas."

The eclipse was a rare celestial event. This was the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous U.S. until 2044, NASA said.

Tracy Liu watched the eclipse with friends, making it even more memorable for the junior business technology administration major.

"The view is very cool. You can see it just slowly inching toward, not totality, but kind of almost there," Liu said. "It's just a really cool sight."