Bostonians revel in a partial solar eclipse

Picnickers set up blankets along Riverbend Park in Cambridge. People stood in line, anxious to get eclipse glasses from a street vendor outside of the Park Street MBTA station. On Monday afternoon, Bostonians paused their regular schedules to gaze up at a rare celestial event.

Claire Femano had the day off, so she went to Boston Common equipped with an RB67 film camera with a top viewfinder. She recently graduated from Wesleyan where she studied photography and wanted to take photos of people taking in the partial solar eclipse.

"It's special that we have this event that's larger than us today. We're all pausing and looking at this cosmic phenomenon," she said. "[It's a] great feeling to have something that's bigger than us, with everything going on in the world — to feel small is important, and a good reminder to gain perspective on things."

Boston was not in the so-called path of totality for the solar eclipse — the area got about 93% coverage. But a few hours north of the city, areas of northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine did see a total eclipse.

Boston University student Annabel Friedman said she felt like the drive up north was too much of an effort to make. She was camped out on Boston Common, waiting to watch the partial eclipse with her friends and cousin.

"I feel like 93% — that's close enough. That's an A in school, so it's good enough," she said.

Kathleen Diana, of Cambridge, echoed that sentiment. She said she hadn't thought of going up to northern New England to see the total eclipse until Monday morning.

"I was kind of second guessing myself, like, why didn't I just go up to Burlington or something, because it's not that far, relatively speaking compared to other people that travel all around the globe for these," she said. "But I think it's cool to see it in the place that you live."

Diana sat on a picnic blanket at Riverbend Park in Cambridge near the Weeks Footbridge with her roommate Angela Campbell and dozens of others waiting for the partial eclipse. People shared snacks and relaxed.

The chatter in the crowd got louder a little after 2:15 p.m., when the moon began to slide ever so slightly over the edge of the sun.

Mild spring weather and a mostly clear sky made for near perfect viewing conditions.

Conor Easthope, a 21-year-old junior at Harvard College, watched with a group of friends. He had seen an eclipse when he was younger growing up in Michigan. He said it's a good reason to be outside.

Looking up at the sun through eclipse glasses, he said it looks "like the Dreamworks animation with the crescent moon."

Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" was playing on a speaker. By the peak around 3:30 p.m., the Weeks Footbridge was packed.

Jason Meier, associate dean for student engagement at Harvard College, was watching in Cambridge. His office distributed safety viewing gear and invited students out to Weeks Footbridge to watch.

"I'm disappointed that we don't have superhero powers now," he said. "But overall it was a great afternoon and beautiful weather."

When the peak hit on Boston Common and the sky darkened, cheers erupted from the crowd. Some pulled on jackets as it got slightly cooler.

People took photos on their phone, holding their eclipse glasses over the lens.

Edward Spencer watched with his dog, Lola, after spending $10 on eclipse glasses at a nearby street vendor. He looked around the last couple days at stores but couldn't find any, but said the $10 was worth it.

He recalled seeing an eclipse in the '70s and wanted to see it again.

"It's just fantastic," the Quincy resident said. "It's amazing that it happens."

And Lola? He says he doesn't think she really noticed it.

But workers at some of the state's zoos say the animals had distinct reactions to the eclipse.

John Linehan, the CEO of Zoo New England which manages the Franklin Park and Stone zoos, said his staff saw a warthog pacing at his gate for dinner. A lion, who typically makes territorial calls every once in a while, made three in 30 minutes during the eclipse period. Some species active in the daytime acted like they were going to sleep, and species active at dawn and dust got more active.

With additional reporting by the WBUR Newscast Unit.