Thousands of people headed to San Antonio for a front-row seat to witness ‘The Ring of Fire’. NBC 5’s Alicia Barrera was in the Alamo City, where the cloudy skies had some folks on the edge of their seat right before the big event.
In San Antonio, sky gazers were left breathless in amazement on Saturday morning. The Alamo City was the largest city in the U.S. in the eclipse's direct path.
Hundreds of families gathered in one of the cities biggest free events hosted by San Antonio College.
“Oh no, my God,” five-year-old Lincoln Silvas said. Silvas’ mother, Bianca, pressed the eclipse sunglasses as he looked up.
The partial eclipse began just before 10:30 a.m. Astronomy fans looked up nervously as clouds threatened to wreck the perfect view.
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“I can actually see it through the clouds, Arsalaan Syed said. Syed traveled from out of state with his father. The most important item in their luggage: a telescope. “I came here all the way from Kansas.”
Minutes before reaching its maximum coverage the skies in San Antonio cleared.
“I love this kind of stuff. I’ve chased stars ever since i was a little kid,” Kenneth Chapman said. Chapman and his wife live in North Carolina. “It’s just a really cool moment, but I’ve never seen this ‘ring of fire’ in person so, that will be the thing hopefully I can get a great picture of.”
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However, their travels and investment in equipment to protect their telescopes, cameras, and cellphones paid off. For four minutes and 20 seconds, astronomy fans experienced and new, kept their eyes glued on the sky.
“Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this before,” ten-year-old Caleb Limjoco said. Limjoco was surrounded by his siblings and parents. “You can see the sun and the moon together.”
Chapman was able to capture dozens of pictures of the moment he dreamt about.
“It’s awe inspiring,” Chapman said. “Amazing. It makes you feel small.”
Locals said they were excited to share this moment with others, especially their children.
“We're actually just wanting to expose our children to the science part of it,” Bianca said. “It brings our community together, and ultimately, it’s free. And you couldn’t ask for better weather.”
Some folks like Chapman and Bianca said they have already started to plan for the main show on April 8, 2024, with a rare total solar eclipse.
From Texas to Maine, April's total eclipse will be visible in the United States.
