Scenes from South Carolina's partial solar eclipse: Falls Park to Spartanburg Science Center

People wearing eclipse glasses filled the Falls Park bridge to see the partial solar eclipse Monday afternoon in Greenville.

Similar scenes played out around the Upstate including at a viewing party at Clemson University and events at Lake Cooley and the Spartanburg Science Center.

The partial solar eclipse started in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson at approximately 1:51 p.m., Monday, April 8, and peaked at about 2:09 p.m. and ended at approximately 4:25 p.m.

During Monday's solar eclipse, Upstate residents enjoyed breezy, springlike temperatures and partly cloudy weather. Many people took time out of their busy day to stop for a moment and safely look up at the sky with their solar eclipse glasses.

At Falls Park, Barnes Elliott, State Rep. Jason Elliott, and Tabitha Bone of Greenville took a break from work to view the solar eclipse at the peak time. Brad Fox of Charlotte, N.C. looked at the solar eclipse with special glasses near his wife Aimee while Jeremiah Hoskins and his son Noah of Rutherford County, North Carolina sat on a rock to watch the solar eclipse.

Eclipse at Lake Cooley

In Inman, folks were celebrating the eclipse at an event hosted by Spartanburg Parks at the Lake Cooley Outdoor Education Center. The event had snacks, crafts, activities, and solar eclipse viewing on the lake with kayaks and paddleboards.

Amanda Bennett, 40, and her son Neil, 8, watched the partial eclipse from a kayak while Grayson Moore, 16, lay in the grass to watch the eclipse. The lake was filled with kayakers looking up at the sky with special glasses to protect their eyes.

Eclipse at UNITY Park

At UNITY Park in Greenville, Latrice Scott and Rosie Scott of Greenville looked at the solar eclipse Monday afternoon while Raamen Stallings of Greenville painted the solar eclipse on a canvas. Stallings is a 2022/2023 Brandon Fellow through the Greenville Center for Creative Arts.

Eclipse at Clemson University

The Clemson University Department of Physics and Astronomy invited the community to watch the solar eclipse from noon until 4 p.m. Monday. The viewing party was held on the lawn between Martin, Long, and Kinard Halls.

Joseph Wiggins, a sophomore from Charleston, said it was a once-in-a-lifetime event. "I didn't witness it in 2017 because it was cloudy," he said.

Georgia native Alex Powie, 22, said the next eclipse won't occur until 20 years from now so he was excited to see it Monday afternoon. "It's cool that Clemson is having this watch party for the students," he said.

The next viewable eclipse will be on Aug. 23, 2044, in only three states, according to NASA. A 2045 eclipse will be much more visible to more people living in the United States, according to an article in USA Today.

Eclipse at Spartanburg Science Center

Mae Webster, education director for Spartanburg Science Center, was preparing for the Science Center's eclipse event early Monday afternoon.

The Spartanburg Science Center, located at 200 E St John St., was hosting a free, outdoor watch party from 1:30-4:30 p.m. They had 85 people registered and more on a waitlist.

“We are hoping people come out and learn about what’s going on," she said.

Mary Levens, executive director of the Spartanburg Science Center, agreed about the importance of this once-in-a-lifetime event. “I think it’s important people understand what’s happening and how the USA won’t see another one in 2044. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance that you want to see."

Naina Kohli, a student at VCom, was out with friends and classmates to watch the eclipse.

“It’s awesome," she said. "I feel super cool to be alive to witness this. We actually took an exam this morning and had the afternoon off to come watch this. When I watch it the next time I’ll be able to remember what it was like when I first watched it and reflect on it.”

Lori Ruppe, of Spartanburg, was out with her grandson, Cruize Athens 7, of Simpsonville, at Barnet Park around 2:30 p.m.

“We wanted to spend a special day together," she said. "It’s a great place to be. There’s other kids, activities, it’s a great day.”

Cruize agreed. “I want to see the ‘ring of fire’ since the sun will be behind the moon, it’ll look like fire," he said. "My grandpa told me about the last one (in 2017) and I’ve never seen one. It’s going to be pretty cool.”

Eclipse at Spartanburg Day School

Spartanburg Day School students from second through twelfth grades donned their eclipse glasses and safely witnessed the partial solar eclipse Monday. Throughout the day, students of all ages delved deeper into the science behind this amazing phenomenon.

Reporters A.J. Jackson, Joanna Johnson, and Travis Rose and photographers Ken Ruinard and McKenzie Lange contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Partial solar eclipse: Lake Cooley kayaks and Falls Park, see photos