PHOTOS: Clouds break just in time for many in Texas to view eclipse

In some parts of the state, the skies cleared enough for people to see the total solar eclipse. BY ALEJANDRA MARTINEZ AND POOJA SALHOTRA A composite image showing different stages of the total solar eclipse photographed at Cooper Lake State Park on April 8, 2024. Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune CELESTE — The clouds disappeared, opening the sky. Then, a curtain of darkness settled in as the moon completely covered the sun, creating a shimmering halo. And a crowd of about 50 eager onlookers at The Nature Conservancy’s Clymer Meadow Preserve erupted with cheers once the eclipse reached its peak of totality on Monday. Attendees took off their glasses to admire the sight as the sky turned pink and purple like an early sunset. One child pointed with excitement as Jupiter and Venus became visible. Truett Cates, 77, from Sherman said, “Hurray for the sun!” and then tears formed in his eyes. For three minutes and 39 seconds, he and the others at this North Texas nature preserve viewed the eclipse in awe. Cates had organized his family reunion around the eclipse; many cousins and siblings had traveled in from Florida, New Jersey and California. Hours earlier, when clouds blanketed...