Hundreds of people gathered at observatories and beaches on Wednesday evening to watch a partial solar eclipse. Several locations offered visitors the chance to stay and view the annual Perseid meteor shower afterwards.
Observatories face overwhelming crowds
Observatories across the country experienced unprecedented interest. Sterrenwacht Halley in Vinkel, North Brabant, welcomed around 300 visitors, but turned away approximately 2,000 people. A long queue of cars formed before the venue opened at 17:30, causing a five-kilometre traffic tailback stretching to the nearby village of Heesch.
In Bloemendaal, North Holland, Sterrenwacht Copernicus sold eclipse glasses on the local boulevard. More than 500 people queued before sales began, eager to purchase one of the 1,200 available pairs. Organisers estimated that thousands of people gathered along the boulevard. Meanwhile, Sterrenwacht Phoenix in Lochem, Gelderland, welcomed up to 200 enthusiastic visitors and hosted an educational session on how solar eclipses work ahead of the peak.
Traffic builds towards western coast
The popularity of the event caused notable traffic congestion on routes leading to western beaches. The ANWB reported significant delays on the N201 towards Zandvoort and the N200 towards Bloemendaal aan Zee, alongside tailbacks near Castricum and Beverwijk. Localised traffic disruption also occurred inland, including near the Nedereindse Plas in Utrecht.
Large crowds equipped with eclipse glasses assembled on beaches at Scheveningen’s Zuiderstrand in The Hague, Hoek van Holland, Wassenaarse Slag, and Zandvoort. The partial eclipse reached its peak around 20:11, requiring an unobstructed view towards the west-northwest.
@ anp | NEWSBRAINPORT
