School closures, mass weddingsHotels and short-term rentals in prime viewing locations were booked solid for months in advance across states including Texas, Arkansas, Ohio and Maine.In Ingram, Texas, at the Stonehenge II park — a replica of the prehistoric monument in England — eclipse watchers gathered from around the world, undeterred by overcast conditions.Jeni Lyn Hunter, 57, and her husband Charles Guillory, 60, had traveled from Floresville, Texas. The couple identified as “pagans” and wore Merlin hats.”It means a lot to me because I have stage four cancer, but I’m not giving up, this is a rebirth of the Sun of life,” Hunter told AFP.And in Russellville, Arkansas, more than 300 couples reportedly exchanged vows at “A Total Eclipse of the Heart” mass wedding ceremony.Delta airlines had planned two special flights along the path, while many schools in the zone shut for the day.Donald Trump, who on Monday released a campaign ad of his head blocking out the Sun, famously ignored all safety advice and gazed directly at the eclipse in 2017 when he was in the White House.This election year, President Joe Biden made fun of his rival with a social media post saying “Don’t be silly, folks.”Health professionals likewise urged people to use certified eclipse glasses to prevent permanent retinal injury.Only those within the totality path could safely remove eye protection for a few precious moments that won’t come around again until the next solar eclipse for much of North America, in 2044.



Source link