EASTON, Maine – As the moon started to cover the sun around 3 p.m. Monday, cars lined both sides of Route 1A and an estimated 120 people filled the yard of Easton’s Francis Malcolm Science Center.
People of all ages crowded onto the deck, filled the lawn and some set up near the woods. Kids tested their eclipse glasses.
Planetarium volunteer and astronomer Jim Stepp instructed the crowd on how to view the eclipse safely. The center offered a full afternoon of family activities, including the planetarium show “Totality,” face painting and crafts for kids, making eclipse viewers and more.
Jenny Anderson and her son, Oscar, tried out their eclipse glasses just as the moon’s shadow started its journey over the sun. The family is originally from Philadelphia but recently moved to Bar Harbor.
“We’re new to Maine and it’s exciting to be here,” Jenny Anderson said.
They came to Easton because they wanted to see the eclipse from the path of totality, and the science center had a full afternoon of activities for families, she said.
At 3:32, the area looked like twilight, then slid into near-total darkness at about 3:34 as the crowd erupted in cheering. By 3:36 the sky began to lighten again.
