Hundreds attend teenager's eclipse party

A solar eclipse watch party organised by 14-year-old astronomer Aston drew hundreds of people to a Northamptonshire housing estate. Aston set up telescopes, provided homemade viewing devices and distributed 400 pairs of eclipse glasses to neighbours in Overstone as part of his fundraising efforts for UK Astronomy. His mother, Lyndsay Smith, described the event as the busiest she had ever witnessed on the estate, with neighbours treating her son like a local celebrity and requesting autographs.

Aston, who aspires to work for SpaceX, led children in experiments to measure lux levels and temperature during the partial eclipse. He set up two telescopes for neighbours to view the phenomenon, which created long queues of people eager for photos. Aston expressed his overwhelming joy, stating that it made him feel "absolutely incredible" and that he was constantly busy ensuring everyone had the best experience possible.

The teenager explained that he estimated 93.5% of the sun was covered from his viewing position, allowing people to see the solar event in detail, including craters on the moon. Aston's passion for the night sky began at the age of two, continuing until he received his first telescope at six. He expressed amazement at the sudden surge in activity on the estate, with "hundreds of people" turning out for the event and saying, "I've never seen the estate that busy, everybody came out. It was unbelievable."