A chilly afternoon darkness fell over Monda in Mesquite, Texas, North America, as a total solar eclipse swept across the continent, thrilling those who witnessed the spectacle through clear skies.
Eclipse frenzy swept across Mexico, the United States and Canada as the Moon crossed in front of the Sun, blotting out daylight. Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse if the weather remained favorable.
It was the continent's largest eclipse audience ever, with a few hundred million people living in or near the shadow's path, as well as large numbers of out-of-towners.
Clouds covered much of Texas as the total solar eclipse began its diagonal period over the ground, starting from the mostly clear Pacific coast of Mexico and extending across Texas and 14 other U.S. states before exiting out into the North Atlantic near Newfoundland. Targeted.Hundreds of people gathered on the lawn of Southwestern University, in Georgetown, Texas, cheered when the sky cleared just in time for spectators to get a clear view.
"We're really lucky," said resident Susan Robertson. “Even with the clouds I feel good because when the clouds clear it feels like wow.”
In the US, Arkansas and northeastern New England were the best bets. New Brunswick and Newfoundland in Canada also looked promising.The show started before noon EDT in the Pacific. As darkness reached the Mexican resort city of Mazatlan, spectators' faces were illuminated only by the screens of their cellphones.
The uncertainty hanging over the cliff added to the drama. But the clouds covering the sky in Mesquite, near Dallas, didn't bother Erin Froenberger, who was in town on business and brought eclipse glasses with her.
"We're always just running, running, running," he said.But it's a situation that we can just take a moment, a few seconds that it's going to happen and embrace it."
A festival outside Austin ended early Monday because of the threat of a storm in the afternoon. Festival organizers urged everyone to pack up and leave.
Sarah Laneau of Westfield, Vermont woke up at 4 a.m. Monday and took her 16-year-old niece to nearby Jay Peak Ski Resort to watch the eclipse after a morning on the slopes.
“This will be a first and a lifetime experience for me,” said Lenue, who was wearing a purple metallic ski suit with a solar eclipse T-shirt underneath.At Niagara Falls State Park, tourists arrive under cloudy skies with wagons, strollers, coolers and lawn chairs. Park officials were expecting large crowds at the popular site overlooking the falls.
During Monday's total eclipse, the Moon slipped right in front of the Sun and completely blocked the Sun. The resulting twilight, in which only the Sun's outer atmosphere or corona is visible, will be long enough for birds and other animals to be quiet, and for planets, stars and perhaps a comet to peek out.
Out-of-sync darkness lasts 4 minutes, 28 seconds.That's almost double what happened during the U.S. coast-to-coast eclipse seven years ago because the moon is closer to Earth. It would take another 21 years for the US to see another total solar eclipse on this scale.
It will take just 1 hour, 40 minutes for the moon's shadow to travel more than 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) across the continent.
Viewing the Sun requires eye protection with proper eclipse glasses and filters, except when it is completely out of sight during an eclipse.
The path of totality – about 115 miles (185 kilometers) wide this time covering several major cities, including Dallas; indianapolis cleveland; Buffalo, New York; And Montreal. An estimated 44 million people live within the tracks, while a few hundred million more live within 200 miles (32 kilometres)."This may be the most observed astronomical event in history," said Teasle Muir-Harmony, curator of the National AI and Space Museum, standing outside the museum in Washington awaiting the partial eclipse.
Experts from NASA and several universities have been deployed along the route, ready to launch research rockets and weather balloons and conduct experiments. Seven astronauts from the International Space Station will also remain on watch 27 miles (435 kilometers) above.
Eclipse frenzy swept across Mexico, the United States and Canada as the Moon crossed in front of the Sun, blotting out daylight. Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse if the weather remained favorable.
It was the continent's largest eclipse audience ever, with a few hundred million people living in or near the shadow's path, as well as large numbers of out-of-towners.
Clouds covered much of Texas as the total solar eclipse began its diagonal period over the ground, starting from the mostly clear Pacific coast of Mexico and extending across Texas and 14 other U.S. states before exiting out into the North Atlantic near Newfoundland. Targeted.Hundreds of people gathered on the lawn of Southwestern University, in Georgetown, Texas, cheered when the sky cleared just in time for spectators to get a clear view.
"We're really lucky," said resident Susan Robertson. “Even with the clouds I feel good because when the clouds clear it feels like wow.”
In the US, Arkansas and northeastern New England were the best bets. New Brunswick and Newfoundland in Canada also looked promising.The show started before noon EDT in the Pacific. As darkness reached the Mexican resort city of Mazatlan, spectators' faces were illuminated only by the screens of their cellphones.
The uncertainty hanging over the cliff added to the drama. But the clouds covering the sky in Mesquite, near Dallas, didn't bother Erin Froenberger, who was in town on business and brought eclipse glasses with her.
"We're always just running, running, running," he said.But it's a situation that we can just take a moment, a few seconds that it's going to happen and embrace it."
A festival outside Austin ended early Monday because of the threat of a storm in the afternoon. Festival organizers urged everyone to pack up and leave.
Sarah Laneau of Westfield, Vermont woke up at 4 a.m. Monday and took her 16-year-old niece to nearby Jay Peak Ski Resort to watch the eclipse after a morning on the slopes.
“This will be a first and a lifetime experience for me,” said Lenue, who was wearing a purple metallic ski suit with a solar eclipse T-shirt underneath.At Niagara Falls State Park, tourists arrive under cloudy skies with wagons, strollers, coolers and lawn chairs. Park officials were expecting large crowds at the popular site overlooking the falls.
During Monday's total eclipse, the Moon slipped right in front of the Sun and completely blocked the Sun. The resulting twilight, in which only the Sun's outer atmosphere or corona is visible, will be long enough for birds and other animals to be quiet, and for planets, stars and perhaps a comet to peek out.
Out-of-sync darkness lasts 4 minutes, 28 seconds.That's almost double what happened during the U.S. coast-to-coast eclipse seven years ago because the moon is closer to Earth. It would take another 21 years for the US to see another total solar eclipse on this scale.
It will take just 1 hour, 40 minutes for the moon's shadow to travel more than 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) across the continent.
Viewing the Sun requires eye protection with proper eclipse glasses and filters, except when it is completely out of sight during an eclipse.
The path of totality – about 115 miles (185 kilometers) wide this time covering several major cities, including Dallas; indianapolis cleveland; Buffalo, New York; And Montreal. An estimated 44 million people live within the tracks, while a few hundred million more live within 200 miles (32 kilometres)."This may be the most observed astronomical event in history," said Teasle Muir-Harmony, curator of the National AI and Space Museum, standing outside the museum in Washington awaiting the partial eclipse.
Experts from NASA and several universities have been deployed along the route, ready to launch research rockets and weather balloons and conduct experiments. Seven astronauts from the International Space Station will also remain on watch 27 miles (435 kilometers) above.
