Bonham, Texas -- For the first time in almost 146 years, daytime skies over Bonham darkened Monday, April 8, 2024 as a total solar eclipse passed over North Texas on a northeast trajectory that carried it from Mexico to Maine at 1,200 mph.
Rainy weather threatened to obscure the remarkable celestial phenomenon but the clouds parted just in time for a spectacular viewing of just over three minutes of totality from 1:43 p.m. until 1:46 p.m.
"The number of visitors in downtown Bonham was phenomenal," remarked Sam Lumpkins, Executive Director of Bonham Area Chamber of Commerce. "We met people from all over the United States and the world. Following the eclipse, everyone that came in was so excited that the clouds cleared just in time for full totality and more. They all praised our community on our preparedness and friendliness, as well as the beauty of the courthouse and community."
Neighbors Place Winery in downtown Bonham hosted an Eclipse Watch Party and reported meeting people from New Zealand, Switzerland and Argentina, as well as visitors from California, Oregon, Seattle, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas and Arkansas.
As long as a sliver of the Sun was visible, a dim sunlight cast a pale glow. But at 1:43 an eerie darkness fell on the area.
This was far more than a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Total solar eclipses only happen roughly every 18 months and it usually takes somewhere between 400 years to 1,000 years before totality returns to the same spot, according to NASA’s Kelly Korreck.
"It's very interesting that nowhere else in our solar system, that we know of, has the right size moon to just block the exact surface of the Sun," Korreck noted.
The next total solar eclipse to cross over the U.S. will be on August 23, 2044, however the path of totality will only be visible over North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. While residents in 21 states will witness a partial solar eclipse, the partial view will only be visible in the northwest area of Texas.
photos by Allen Rich
photos below courtesy of Neighbors Place Winery
