Southern California might not have received the “total” solar eclipse experience that some parts of the U.S. and Mexico are seeing Monday, but many locals still strapped on their protective eyewear and enjoyed one of Mother Nature’s rare beauties just before noon.

There were several viewing parties spread out along the Southland at around 11 a.m., as the partial eclipse hit its peak in the region. One of the largest was at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, where KTLA’s Lauren Lyster gathered some reactions.

“Oh my God,” said a student from Alaska on his student trip to L.A. “It’s pretty cool … [It was like], half of the moon, half of the sun.”

“It was a perfect opportunity to see a solar eclipse and the Hollywood sign,” said one woman.

“It’s very exciting, even though it is partial it’s beautiful,” said Emily Joy. “It’s super special. I mean, look at this, there’s hundreds of people here enjoying this together.”

KTLA’s Chip Yost was posted at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, where the school’s planetarium used telescopes to take a peek. The telescopes were, of course, filtered to prevent eye damage to those looking through the lens.

“With this, we’re able to see the sun spots, we’re able to see the moon coming in,” said Omar Gallo. “It’s really good.”

Jessica Artinger, who runs the planetarium, said there were about 3,000 people present for the event Monday.