Turning back the clock: What did the last total solar eclipse in the US look like in Florida?

Mark H. Bickel, Fort Myers News-Press
·2 min read

The buzz is building for the total solar eclipse on April 8.

Florida is not in the path of totality, but depending on the weather (cloud cover) there will between 50-60 percent of coverage in Southwest Florida. And it's actually a little less predicted coverage compared to the last time there was a total solar eclipse.

The last total solar eclipse in the U.S. was on Aug. 21, 2017. The News-Press and Naples Daily News covered the event in different ways − from photos of the eclipse covering the sun to how people were watching the eclipse at the beach and other locations. This region saw as much as 78 percent of the sun covered during the eclipse.

LINK: HERE IS OUR STORY ABOUT THE 2017 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

More: April's total solar eclipse will be 'once in a lifetime event' for some. What about Naples?

More: April's total solar eclipse will be 'once in a lifetime event'. What about Fort Myers?

Here is a look back, through photos of what we saw here in Southwest Florida during the 2017 total solar eclipse at Fort Myers Beach and the Northwest Regional Library in Cape Coral:

The Great American Solar Eclipse as seen from the Northwest Regional Library in Cape Coral, Florida. Southwest Florida saw 78 percent of the sun covered as the moon crossed its path at 2:53 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.
The Great American Solar Eclipse as seen from the Northwest Regional Library in Cape Coral, Florida. Southwest Florida saw 78 percent of the sun covered as the moon crossed its path at 2:53 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.

DID YOU KNOW: The 2017 eclipse was the first solar eclipse in 99 years to sweep from sea to shining sea in the USA.

In this photo, the 2017 Great American Solar Eclipse was just starting in Fort Myers, Florida. This image was taken from Fort Myers Beach.
In this photo, the 2017 Great American Solar Eclipse was just starting in Fort Myers, Florida. This image was taken from Fort Myers Beach.

DID YOU KNOW: The 70-mile-wide shadow path of the eclipse, known as the “path of totality,” rolled across the country diagonally, appearing first in Oregon and exiting some 2,500 miles east and 90 minutes later off the coast of South Carolina.

The Great American Solar Eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, as viewed from Cape Coral, Florida.
The Great American Solar Eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, as viewed from Cape Coral, Florida.

DID YOU KNOW: Lee County was more than 1,000 miles from that path, which meant the eclipse wouldn’t be complete.

DID YOU KNOW: The U.S. Postal Service held a noontime dedication ceremony for the Total Eclipse of the Sun Forever stamp at the Calusa nature center.

The solar eclipse as seen from the Northwest Regional Library in Cape Coral. Southwest Florida saw 78 percent of the sun covered as moon crossed its path at 2:53 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.
The solar eclipse as seen from the Northwest Regional Library in Cape Coral. Southwest Florida saw 78 percent of the sun covered as moon crossed its path at 2:53 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.

Taking in the total solar eclipse at Fort Myers Beach

DID YOU KNOW: People in Southwest Florida viewed the eclipse from a solar telescope in front of Fort Myers’ Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium to slurping-up free yogurt at Yogurt Mountain in Estero.

A group of friends from northern Kentucky gathered at the Pink Shell Resort at Fort Myers Beach to see the solar eclipse on Monday, August 21, 2017.
A group of friends from northern Kentucky gathered at the Pink Shell Resort at Fort Myers Beach to see the solar eclipse on Monday, August 21, 2017.

DID YOU KNOW: Vacationers at Fort Myers Beach inclined to watch the sky did so from the shallow Gulf waters, from the busy swimming pool or from chaise lounges

DID YOU KNOW: The Pink Shell Beach Resort & Marina on Fort Myers Beach had eclipse sunglasses for its guests and staff.

More Fort Myers Beach eclipse 2017 eclipse photos

The solar eclipse as seen from the Pink Shell Resort at Fort Myers Beach on Monday, August 21, 2017.
The solar eclipse as seen from the Pink Shell Resort at Fort Myers Beach on Monday, August 21, 2017.

Cape Coral found a unique way to celebrate the total solar eclipse

DID YOU KNOW: The Northwest Regional Library in Cape Coral threw a solar eclipse party for teens.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: When was the last total solar eclipse in Florida