Then roughly two hours later, Delaware North communicator Richard Castellanos updated the crowd near the iconic Rocket Garden, while eclipse spectators laid on the grass and listened to NASA TV’s broadcast while watching the waning sun.
“All right. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. If you have those solar viewing glasses, take a look up at the sun,” Castellanos announced.
“We are at our maximum peak coverage here at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex,” he said, eliciting applause and cheers.
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Brevard County was not in the path of totality, but Space Coast spectators saw about 62% coverage. The eclipse began in Brevard about 1:48 p.m., with the midpoint hitting at 3:04 p.m. Florida — and Brevard in particular — will be in the path of totality for a solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2045.
About two dozen people gathered at the Titusville YMCA for a “Through the Eyes of NASA” event featuring eclipse viewing glasses and high-powered telescopes. The Florida Institute of Technology also welcomed students and alumni for a telescope-powered view.
“Honestly, I’m really looking forward to seeing all of the other various people in the community actually look and be able to get excited about something astronomical happening,” Serena Candia, 24, a Florida Tech senior who is studying astronomy and astrophysics, said before the eclipse began.
Cracker Barrel off Wickham Road in Viera offered dine-in customers a free side of buttermilk pancakes with any entrée purchase — just ask the server for “eclipse pancakes.”
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Students and staff at St. Mark’s Episcopal Academy in Cocoa watched the eclipse from Riverfront Park. Karis James, the school’s STEAM teacher, said the kids have been learning about the moon and tides since the start of the year.
“The greatest part is the light bulbs are going off for them,” James said. “They can see the connection (to what we’ve talked about earlier this year) and it’s all happening.”
While the St. Mark’s students received eclipse glasses, James’ classes also made viewing devices with toilet paper tubes.
Kelly Cobb of Melbourne went to The Avenue Viera on Monday to celebrate her 38th birthday. She and a friend walked out of a nail salon with freshly manicured nails just after 3 p.m. and noticed several people looking toward the sky. A stranger handed the birthday girl a pair of eclipse glasses.
“It’s amazing,” Cobb said, looking at the sun. “Mother Nature is crazy. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or bad thing that today’s my birthday.”
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Solar Eclipse wows Brevard from Kennedy Space Center to Florida Tech