By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor

OBSERVATORY HILL — It’s not uncommon for people to gather at Allegheny Observatory to catch glimpses of stars, moons or planets, but the crowd which gathered on April 8 was much larger than unusual.

That’s because, rather than using the sophisticated telescopes of the observatory, the attendees were able to gaze upon this celestial event with their own eyes… with the help of some specialized glasses, that is.

Dozens of people from the Northside and beyond flocked to Allegheny Observatory to catch a view of the solar eclipse which was making its way through the United States, an event which drew millions nationwide to turn their eyes upwards. While Pittsburgh was not in the path of totality, the city got pretty close, with 97% of the sun getting blocked by the moon.

Those watching through eclipse glasses — which protect the user’s eyes from solar rays — the sun appeared like a crescent moon. Even without the glasses on, light became notably dimmer in the city, even though it was the middle of the afternoon.

To say the phenomenon was an exhilarating experience for those in attendance would perhaps be an understatement.

“It’s exciting,” said David Ballinger, a Brighton Heights resident. “I’ve never photographed an eclipse before. I’ve never seen one actually.”

Ballinger had an elaborate camera set up to take pictures of the eclipse, with a 600mm lens aimed right at the sun with a filter over the lens, the same kind of filter used by eclipse glasses.

Check out the May issue to see the full story.