Rare Sunrise Eclipse Wows Early Risers Across Tri-State Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Sunrise offered more than just the dawn of a new day Thursday.
As CBS2s Vanessa Murdock reports, it was a celestial show unlike most of us have witnessed in our lifetimes.
Before daybreak, eclipse enthusiasts gathered at Compo Beach in Westport, Connecticut to put down blankets, set up cameras and pitch balloons.
WATCH: CBS2's Lonnie Quinn Reports From Westport, Conn.
CBS2's Lonnie Quinn was there with the Mobile Weather Lab to watch the sunrise eclipse unfold.
One fifth grade teacher was there with her students from Sacks Middle School in New Canaan.
"This is very rare. We're studying the moon, we're studying the eclipse," she told Quinn.
WATCH: CBS2's John Elliott Reports From Point Pleasant, N.J.
Down shore in Point Pleasant, a few came out in hopes the clouds would give way to the sun's display.
"This is incredible. You can't ask for anything better than this," one person told CBS2's John Elliott.
Razy and Rickie came equipped with eclipse binoculars and homemade glasses.
"We didn't go to sleep last night," one said.
"Looks really cool," the other added.
The annular solar eclipse -- when the moon lines up between the Earth and sun, casting a shadow -- did not disappoint many.
At Fort Lee Historic Park, nestled beside the majestic George Washington Bridge, the view was glorious.
Murdock showed up just before sunrise and witnessed the saw slide above the horizon. It looked more like the moon, with devil horns rising from the ashes.
PHOTOS: Sunrise Eclipse Seen Around The World
"Better than expected," said Teddy Kim, of Leonia. "Someone told me last night that it was going to be like cloudy, covering."
At times, the clouds did obscure the spectacle, but overall, the hour after daybreak couldn't have been more picture perfect.
Breathtaking pictures flooded social media and streamed live from Canada, thanks to the Virtual Telescope Project.
The next sunrise solar eclipse is not until 2079, when it will be a total eclipse.
CBS2's Lonnie Quinn and John Elliott contributed to this report.
