SAN ANTONIO — Excitement grew in the Alamo City as locals and visitors anxiously waited for a "ring of fire" to appear during the annular solar eclipse Saturday.
Numerous watch parties were held around the city, including at the Scobee Education Center and Planetarium, where hundreds of people turned out.
One family traveled from Houston to bring their daughter along with a telescope they gave her for her 14th birthday.
"It's not an event that happens all the time close by. It was an opportunity we couldn't pass up," said the girl's mother, Francinsca Ogundele.
Unfortunately, cloudy skies obscured the view of the sun during the early part of the partial eclipse, but the clouds parted just in time for the "ring of fire" display. Crowds cheered as they witnessed the moon's shadow cover the sun.
"At first it was pretty cloudy, we weren't sure it was going to go well," said Chirag Bachani who traveled from Dallas bringing his long camera lens.
Hundreds of event attendees sported their solar glasses as they stared skyward.
"It's just incredible," said 14-year-old Emmanuelle Le Menn, who traveled with her family from Houston.
The maximum eclipse lasted about four minutes, depending on where visitors decided to watch the event around the San Antonio area.
The next eclipse in San Antonio will be a total solar eclipse, which will take place on April 8, 2024.
PHOTOS: Watching the annular eclipse in San Antonio and South Texas
