Lincoln Academy freshmen Sawyer Ruit and Fiona Duffy look up at the eclipse after school on Monday, April 8. Event organizer Laura Phelps, the school’s librarian, said student excitement for the event was heartening. (Elizbaeth Walztoni photo)
The sun did not quite go dark in the Midcoast on Monday, April 8, but residents across Lincoln County gathered to watch the moon pass over the sun as Maine experienced its first total solar eclipse since 1963.
While the eclipse was not total in Lincoln County, it was close: the sky dimmed as approximately 97% of the sun here was covered by the moon.
The moon and sun align to create a solar eclipse on Earth approximately twice each year, but these events – paths of darkness thrown by the shadow of the moon – are spread out across the globe. A total solar eclipse will not come this close to the county again until 2079, when the path of totality will pass over the state’s southeastern coast.
School groups, businesses, friends, and neighbors turned out to see the sky together through eclipse glasses – those who didn’t travel north to catch the path of totality through the upper half of the state, that is.
At Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, students stayed after school to watch with free glasses, cookies, and milk. Faculty and staff, including organizer Laura Phelps, the school’s librarian, said it seemed natural to watch the eclipse as a community.
“I’ve been so heartened by the response from kids who are so excited about it,” she said.
Around her, students were noticing the air growing colder and the light dimmer while taking pictures through the lenses of their glasses and guessing whether the peak had happened.
Over in Wiscasset, members of the public were invited to gather at the Wiscasset Middle High School for an eclipse watch party. Hosted by Wiscasset Elementary School Partners in Education, a nonprofit organization that consists of parent, teacher, and community volunteers, the watch party was attended by over 30 people who were looking expectantly toward the sky periodically for over an hour alongside friends, family, and other community members.
Special glasses to watch the eclipse were given to each student at Wiscasset Middle High School at the end of the school day on Monday, and any extra pairs were given out to members of the public.
Partners in Education sold concessions during the eclipse watch party, with profits going toward end of year school activities.
“What we made (from the eclipse watch party) was a drop in the bucket, but we were able to help bring the community together for an unforgettable experience. That is priceless,” said Chair Lucy Oyster-Ackerman.
