Photo Courtesy of Ernie Poani.

People across Central Illinois and across the country got to enjoy a phenomena not seen in the U.S. since 1979 on Monday, a total solar eclipse. The path of totality came on the West Coast in Oregon, moved east and then southeast across parts of Southern Illinois before moving off the east coast in South Carolina.

Ernie Poani is a local astronomer and he had been looking forward to Monday’s eclipse for a long time. He says he and his wife moved to the countryside to enjoy more of nature’s natural beauty.

Poani says he is amazed at the things humans have done in his lifetime, and he is amazed how far technology has come.

Poani held a watch party at his home for the eclipse on Monday. He appeared as a guest on the Newstalk WTIM Morning Show.