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'It's Amazing': Pittsburghers Awed By Rare Solar Eclipse

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It was a historic day across the United States as a solar eclipse traveled from the West Coast to the East Coast on Monday.

People in Oregon were the first to see it. Cheers erupted as the moon completely covered the sun there.

KDKA's John Shumway Reports --

Though Pittsburgh wasn't in the path of totality, there was a similar scene here. People came out of their office buildings and homes to watch the rare phenomenon.

Many families started lining up early at the Carnegie Science Center.

Two celestial bodies provided the choreography of the seldom-seen dance. The gazing Science Center crowd provided the soundtrack.

The moon started drawing the curtain over the sun just after 1 p.m., and every time you looked, the sun's light was different. We achieved about 81 percent coverage here in Pittsburgh.

"I think it's gorgeous," said Pat Andrews, of Verona. "I was here in the '70s, in '79, but you couldn't see it because no one thought to make these type of glasses."

KDKA's Dave Crawley's Ode To The Eclipse --

Mary Harris, 9, was making a journal.

"It's cool," she said of the eclipse.

The Science Center offered live video feeds and commentary from experts, as well as special equipment, including a telescope, to view the eclipse.

Erika Richmond, an Earth and Space teacher in Plum, made special shirts for her kids for the event.

"It's a huge deal," she said, "It's amazing; the last time it happened was 26 years ago; and it won't happen again till 2024; so it's such a wonderful opportunity for the kids to see this."

Kids of all ages couldn't get enough as the temperatures dipped, the light dimmed and the moon's performance reached its local peak.

"It's amazing," said Michael Lerner, of Boston. "You can see it in a movie or see it on a piece of paper, but to actually see it as the moon is actually coming across the sun, it's… oh my God, this is cool."

CBS's Don Champion Reports --

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said on Twitter that our divided nation would be brought together by the cosmic event.

"It's nice for everybody to come out to the city, nice seeing everybody out here seeing one thing, getting along, and even if some people don't have glasses, everyone's sharing," said Leonard Robinson, of Clairton.

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