Hundreds of residents gathered in a Northamptonshire housing estate for a solar eclipse watch party organized by 14-year-old Aston Smith. The aspiring astronomer set up telescopes and provided homemade viewers for his neighbors.
Aston distributed 400 pairs of eclipse glasses as part of his initiative to raise funds for UK Astronomy. His mother, Lyndsay Smith, noted the unprecedented turnout, with neighbors treating her son like a "local celebrity" and seeking autographs.
Mixed in with the festivities, Aston, who expresses a desire to work for SpaceX in the future, also led educational activities. These included experiments designed to measure lux levels and temperature fluctuations during the partial solar eclipse.