A total solar eclipse was visible from the United States this past Monday, April 8. While Iowa was not in the path of totality which stretched from Texas to Maine in a narrow band, the state did experience somewhere between 70 to 85 percent of the eclipse depending on location.

The peak time to view the eclipse in Tama County was from approximately 1:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. and several area groups did just that including Traer Public Library’s Fit and Feisty class participants (second photo) who headed out back of the library with their eclipse glasses (plus a spiffy homemade viewer made from a cardboard and box aluminum foil) to view the Moon pass between the Earth and the Sun.

Students at Dysart-Geneseo Elementary (first photo) also had the opportunity to check out the skies in wonder while sporting special glasses.

According to Meskwaki Natural Resources, during peak eclipse viewing time in Tama County, daylight lessened while the air felt cooler and calmer, and other than a few motionless turkeys observed at the edge of a cornfield, no birdsong was heard nor birds observed flying.

The last total solar eclipse visible from Iowa took place on August 21, 2017. Another total solar eclipse will not be visible from the United States again until August 23, 2044.