ERIE, Pa. — From across the Commonwealth, the country, and even the world, people flocked to Erie to experience totality in today’s solar eclipse.
One of the official viewing sites for totality was in Perry Square, a central location in downtown Erie. Officials from NASA, media, students and more gathered to catch a glimpse of the eclipse.
While the day started off cloudy with rain, skies cleared just in time at 3:16 p.m. for totality to be viewed.
Cooper Johannsen is a student from Pittsburg who told FOX43 that he had to convince his dad to make the trip.
"It took a lot of convincing my dad. My dad's like 'Why are we just going to stare at the sun for a few minutes?" he said. "But then just as we started seeing it he was like 'Cooper, thank you for convincing me.'"
Cooper and every other person in Perry Square was stunned by the spectacle.
"As a full grown man, it brought tears to my eye," says Evan Walters from Harrisburg. This is his second time seeing a solar eclipse. "
"It was a beautiful moment. You don’t really sit every day and [think] 'I’m just a small speck in this beautiful universe and there’s these massive celestial bodies moving around creating this wonder we get to witness.' You feel the birds flying around cawing everywhere and you feel the cold on your skin and everything becomes dark, it’s fascinating," he explained.
Some people made a quick trip for totality, others made a whole weekend out of it.
"We had lunch down overlooking the lake, which was really exciting," says Bernadette Wooford of Duncannon. "Then we came here. And as soon as the governor spoke, the sun came out, the clouds parted, it was great."
Totality lasted just over 3 and a half minutes in Erie. At that time, temperatures dropped 15 degrees, skies darkened, and birds started flocking overhead.
Everyone in Erie today says the view was worth the trek. Cooper encourages everyone to make the trip, if within reason.
"I mean don't travel like 5000 miles to see one," he says laughing. "But if it's in your state or a city nearby definitely go try to see it. It's amazing. It might seem like I'm just I'm going to stare at the sun for a few minutes... but no! It's really cool."
If you're hoping to catch the next total eclipse, you'll need to wait about 20 years. The next solar eclipse visible across the United States will be in 2044.