PHOTO COURTESY OF GLADBROOK-REINBECK COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

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 Grundy and Tama counties was from approximately 1:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. and several area groups did just that including second and third grade teachers (pictured) at Gladbrook-Reinbeck Elementary School who stepped outside with their eclipse glasses to view the Moon pass between the Earth and the Sun.

According to Meskwaki Natural Resources, during peak eclipse viewing time in our area, daylight lessened while the air felt cooler and calmer.

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.