Solar Eclipse: Southwest Florida enjoys celestial spectacle

Reporter: Annalise Iraola Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
Solar eclipse
Photo by Drew Rae on Pexels.com

The solar eclipse is sure to mystify millions of people, even in Southwest Florida, where the eclipse did not even reach totality.

According to NASA, In 2017, a total solar eclipse captured the attention of 215 million U.S. adults either directly or digitally.

In Lehigh Acres, people were prepared for the astronomical event. If you had eclipse glasses, you could look up and see the celestial bodies partially aligned, with the moon partially covering the sun.

“Really amazing because a lot of them have no idea just how much is around the sun itself that’s just lost in the glare,” said Brian Risley, the president of the Southwest Florida Astronomical Society.

Over at Lehigh Acres Middle School, kids between sixth and eighth grade were able to see their first eclipse.

The solar eclipse began around 1:40 p.m. before ending around 4:12 p.m.

The excitement generated by the eclipse stems from the length prediction of totality nearly doubling from 2017 into 2024.

Depending on the location, viewers would have witnessed the total solar eclipse lasting for around 4 minutes and 28 seconds.

NASA revealed that the path of totality increased due to the Sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona, being much wider during the upcoming total solar eclipse than during the eclipse in 2017.

The predictive range will be around 108 and 122 miles wide, allowing for more potential ground coverage.

The Southwest Florida Astronomical Society had telescopes primed for the eclipse in downtown Fort Myers, offering free observation for locals.

A limited supply of free solar eclipse glasses and viewers and educational material about astronomy and the eclipse were provided.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.