Southern Californians Riveted By Sight Of Partial Solar Eclipse

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Across Southern California, eyes turned to the sky Monday morning to catch a glimpse of the first solar eclipse visible in the United States since 1979.

At Griffith Observatory, thousands of eager eclipse-watchers camped out, arriving as early as 3 a.m. to stake out prime spots. The eclipse reached just 62 percent totality in Southern California, but the celestial event still didn't disappoint.

From office buildings and regional parks, to bastions of science like Caltech and the California Science Center, people gathered with protective eye-wear to watch the first solar eclipse in nearly 40 years.

The next solar eclipse expected to reach totality across some of the United States in April 2024. A less sun-blocking "Ring of Fire" eclipse is expected on Oct. 14, 2023, and is expected to be visible from parts of California.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)