Even though the Eclipse 2024 wasn’t a total one, and we didn’t get “totality” we did get community awe and wonder at seeing the Moon cover the Sun for about an hour Monday morning.
The Manhattan Beach Public Library staged an Eclipse viewing party, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. with long, long lines before opening to snag a pair of the 250 solar glasses that were available for free. By 10:15, they were gone.
But that didn’t matter. Most of the folks in the crowd shared the specs with their neighbors.
“It’s so cool,” said Sophia Gulimi, 14, a Redondo Beach Union High School student on her Spring Break. “It’s surreal.”
Cecile Willis, 81, the grandmother to Sophia’s friend Lia, was happy to share in the joys of science with the girls. “I’m just so happy they are here to see this and witness it.”
Many home schooled young kids were in attendance, including Sid Ordonez, 8, who said that looking up at the Eclipse was like seeing the Cookie Monster take a bite out of the sun.
Lauren Wubbels, a librarian with the Library, said she was surprised, but delighted at the turnout. “It’s such a unique experience to share with neighbors.”
John and Cecille Desimone, who got dressed up in celestial outfits in 2017 to celebrate the last eclipse at the Redondo Beach Public Library, put on the same outfits and donned solar glasses in Manhattan Beach. They get dressed up to honor their late daughter Katrina, who loved the planets.
