More than 5,000 people gathered on the Ayres Hall lawn on Monday to view the solar eclipse. Attendees snacked on Moon Pies, Sun Chips, cookies, and popcorn, and watched the live stream from NASA of the total eclipse.
The temperature dropped several degrees and the cicadas began chirping as the sky darkened. Even though Knoxville had only 99.75 percent totality, the solar show drew cheers and gasps from the crowd gathered for the event.
