The Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization founded by renowned astronomer Carl Sagan and currently led by the popular Bill Nye, recently observed the first glimpse of a solar eclipse in Fredericksburg, Texas.
As the moon slowly moved into view from the far right side of the sun, Bill Nye excitedly exclaimed, 'There it is people! The moon's getting between us and the sun!' from a stage.
Fredericksburg was chosen by The Planetary Society for their 'Eclipse-O-Rama' event due to its location in the center of the path of totality. The town is expected to experience over four minutes of total blackout shortly after 1:30 p.m. CT.
Moreover, Fredericksburg is recognized as a dark sky community, limiting the brightness of its lights at night to provide exceptional stargazing opportunities. The town is one of the few dozen dark sky towns in the world, according to The Planetary Society.
Despite cloudy conditions throughout the day, the sun emerged just before the partial eclipse began.
In a lighthearted moment, Bill Nye mentioned making calls to the appropriate 'authorities' to ensure optimal viewing conditions for the event.
