KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The annular solar eclipse struck the people of East Tennessee. The public was able to see nearly half of the sun covered by the moon early Saturday afternoon.
Events popped up all over East Tennessee. The Greene family spent their afternoon at the Blount County Public Libraries sightseeing the event.
"What are we here to see? The sun," 2-year-old Michael Greene said. "It's hiding."
Families grabbed special eclipse-viewing glasses and watched as the sun peeked through the clouds. A spectacle one father said is key to his son's education
"Opportunities like this are just keeping up with his education right," Casey Greene said.
Meanwhile in Knox County, the University of Tennessee's Astronomy & Physics set up shop at Lakeshore Park giving parkgoers the chance to see the event through the lens of a telescope.
"When anybody looks through this kind of telescope for the first time, it's just like, wow, I didn't know that was there," Sherwood Lagergren, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, said. "It's something that we see every day but you get to discover something new."
Everybody from kids to scientists and even some furry friends gathered together looking up to the stars.
"One of the best parts of working in astronomy is that it's something that's so exciting for so many people, from kids to parents and everybody else," Lagergren said. "So it's really fortunate that we get to be out here and actually share the excitement of what we do."
The next solar eclipse that can be seen in Knoxville is expected to happen on April 8, 2024.