What the total solar eclipse looked like in Texas
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Sid Palmer of Jacksonville, Florida, went to Del Rio hoping for a better shot at a sunny sky. He said he still got a pretty good view despite the clouds. Photo: Madalyn Mendoza/Axios
The highly anticipated total solar eclipse finally graced Texas with its presence.
Why it matters: Texas won't be in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse again until 2045, and that path will include just a small slice of the Panhandle, according to NASA.
Yes, but: The clouds were pretty thick in some areas, even though statistically Texas had the lowest chances of cloud coverage across the eclipse's U.S. path.
- The ring of fire was still stunning when it peeked through the clouds, but some of those who traveled to Texas — as many as 1 million people, according to Great American Eclipse — probably hoped to see a little more of the spectacle.
Here's what we saw across the state:
Brett and Leesha Baker peered through their telescope at Dick Nichols Park in Southwest Austin. The pair traveled from Utah to experience their second total solar eclipse.
- "It's a full-body experience," Leesha Baker recalled about the 2017 eclipse. "It's very humbling to have everything go dark."
At Lake Pflugerville Park, north of Austin, the clouds broke enough for good views intermittently leading up to totality. Everyone let out collective "wows" and "aahs" as totality hit.
Hundreds of people gathered at Hermann Park in Houston, where the Sun was 94% covered — and there was a lot of happy shouting when the eclipse was visible.
A group of friends drove three and a half hours from Oklahoma City to view the eclipse at Windhaven Meadows Park in Plano.
I-35 was uncharacteristically empty around downtown Austin during the peak of the eclipse.
Students from Austin's Travis Heights Elementary School and their parents cheered "Team Moon!" as totality approached.
Texas Solar Eclipse Fest was raffling off a Mitsubishi Eclipse in Del Rio.
Hundreds gathered at the Bath House Cultural Center on White Rock Lake in Dallas to cheer the passing of the clouds in time for a clear view of totality.
Families, couples and groups of friends picnicked at The Colony's Grandscape, north of Dallas.
What's next: The next total solar eclipse will occur from Greenland to Spain on Aug. 12, 2026.
Go deeper: The eclipse across the U.S., including a mass wedding