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      Early risers catch a glimpse of the partial solar eclipse

      Garden City, SC

      People all across the eastern United States got a chance to catch a partial solar eclipse Sunday morning.

      Astronomers said nearly 47 percent of the sun was blocked by the moon just after sunrise Sunday morning.

      Because it's part of the "saros" series of eclipses, they added that you'll only see this once every 18 years.

      That might explain why people in our area woke up early on a Sunday morning for the experience.

      Ken Harp and his mom drove all the way from Sumter Sunday morning, leaving their house at 4 a.m., just to catch a glimpse.

      "I liked how right before it, the way the sun was coming up, with the rays on the clouds and then with the actual eclipse, using my sunglasses, seeing it, it was pretty cool," Harp explained.

      Harp said this was his first time witnessing an eclipse.

      Other eclipsers like Syd Chase said he happened to meet someone who told him about the eclipse just in time.

      Chase is also a first-time eclipse watcher.

      "He showed up with a pair of glasses that he got from the movies the other week and he filtered out the brightness of the sun and we were able to see the moon crossing through and it was a great show. I enjoyed it and it was pretty cool," said Chase.

      The next eclipse in this series will be on November 14, 2031. The next total eclipse will be August 21, 2017.