‘Great American Eclipse’ dazzles hundreds during watch party at Orange Coast College

Hundreds of star-struck individuals at Orange Coast College on Monday cast their glances skyward to catch a glimpse of the Great American Eclipse.

Judging by the reaction of the crowd at the Costa Mesa campus, the celestial spectacle more than lived up to its moniker.

Clad in protective eyeglasses and clutching homemade viewers fashioned from cereal boxes, the crowd stood transfixed as it watched the moon pass in front of the sun, gradually blotting out its rays.

Children shrieked in delight at the sight, while adults beamed and pointed in amazement.

Many waited in line to view the eclipse through an array of telescopes while others walked around the parking lot, searching for the best place to snap solar selfies.

The last total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States was 38 years ago.

“This kind of eclipse, where it goes across the entire U.S., is rare,” said Jerome Fang, an astronomy instructor at OCC. “That makes it special.”

Starting Monday morning, the moon carved a shadowy swath across the United States, from Oregon to South Carolina.

In Costa Mesa, the eclipse was visible starting at about 9 a.m. People began lining up for OCC’s event about two hours prior to that, according to college spokesman Juan Gutierrez.

At its local peak, the moon obscured about 61% of the sun. Other places experienced totality — where the moon completely blocked out the sun, momentarily casting the area into darkness.

OCC opened some of its classrooms Monday to show a video feed of the total eclipse.

“The sun and the moon are so ordinary; we don’t pay attention to them from day to day,” Fang said. “To have the moon covering the sun, that’s something that’s rare ... it’s a unique thing to be able to see. I think it reconnects people to the sky and what’s up there.”

Among those swept up in eclipse fever Monday were Daniela Sanchez-Wolf and her husband, Brian Wolf.

The Miami residents temporarily interrupted their road trip down the coast to find a good spot to take in the sight.

“I had him going everywhere looking for the glasses,” Sanchez-Wolf said with a laugh.

A Google search for them turned up the event at OCC, enough for a reroute to Costa Mesa.

“We’re super excited because we finally got to see it,” Sanchez-Wolf said. “It’s so cool — it’s such a great experience.”

Huntington Beach resident Bonnie Gruttadauria said she was happy that the typical morning gloom burned off in time to see the eclipse at its fullest.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “I doubt I’m going to be around for the next one, so I’m really going to enjoy this.”

Californians wanting to lay eyes on the next total solar eclipse over the United States will have to take a road trip. That one, in 2024, will go from Texas into the Midwest and up through the Northeast.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney