An overcast sky hung over New Ulm all Monday morning and through most of the afternoon. The New Ulm Public Library had planned a eclipse watch party at Highland Park, but the event was canceled due to the overcast. A few dedicated people still came out in hopes of catching a glimpse of the solar phenomenon. A group of MRCI participates gathered a Highland Park at a quarter to noon when the eclipse began, but the clouds block most of the coverage.

The full solar eclipse started in Mexico and move north across central and northeast Texas, then into Arkansas and southern Missouri before going through the southern Midwest. It proceeded Northeast through New England and the Maritime Provinces of Canada before leaving North America.

Minnesota was never in the direct path of the eclipse. Even without the cloud cover, New Ulm would not have witnessed a full eclipse. At it’s peak, New Ulm would have seen 73% of the sun obstructed by the moon.

In Minnesota, the eclipse reached peak coverage at 2 p.m. Around this time, the eclipse could be seen by some in New Ulm, reflected off the cloud coverage. Several of the MRCI participates had relocated to Hermann Heights Park and were able to glimpse the rare solar event.

A group of MRCI participates gathers in Highland Park in hopes of catching a glimpse of the solar eclipse. For the first hour of the eclipse, overcast blocked view of the moon and sun. However, by 2 p.m. a break in the clouds allowed the MRCI participates to briefly view the eclipse from Hermann Heights Park. L to R: Alli Rollhoff, Dylan Ring, Andrew Rader, Brady Kalk, Ben Mathiowetz and Jessica Welsch.

From this location, there was a short window between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. where the clouds parted long enough for the eclipse to be visible.

The next total solar eclipse to cross the continental U.S. coast-to-coast will occur in 2045.