The highly anticipated solar eclipse occurred in parts of 15 U.S. states on Monday, first appearing along Mexico’s Pacific coast around 11:09 a.m. PT.
About 34 million people are expected to be in the path of totality – where the eclipse will be fully visible – which will extend through Texas and into New England as the day progresses.
The exact time for the event varied depending on the state and time zone.
The Lone Star State was the first to see the moon completely block the sun around 1:32 PM CT, which lasted about three minutes and 15 seconds.
About 34 million people are expected to be in the path of totality — where the eclipse will be fully visible — which will then extend through Texas and into New England as the day progresses.
The celestial event ended its journey in Main around 3:32 PM ET
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon and sun are perfectly aligned and the moon is close enough to us to cover the entire sun from our perspective.
While Texas was the first state to experience the celestial event, Oklahoma was next at around 1:45 PM CT, followed by Arkansas at 1:51 PM ET and Missouri about five minutes later.
Illinois was next in line on the path of totality, with Carbondale experiencing the solar eclipse around 1:59 PM CT and Paducah, Kentucky about a minute later.
And Evansville, Indiana at 2:06 PM CT and then Ohio witnessed it around 3:13 PM ET.
State officials estimate that up to 556,000 people will visit the Buckeye State.
Erie, Pennsylvania was next, with the solar eclipse at 3:16 PM ET, followed by Buffalo, New York around 3:18 PM ET.
The path continued north, reaching Burlington, Vermont at 3:26 PM ET, Lancaster, New Hampshire at 3:27 PM ET, and Caribou, Maine at 3:32 PM ET.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon and sun are perfectly aligned and the moon is close enough to us to cover the entire sun from our perspective. While Texas will be the first state to see the celestial event, Oklahoma will be next at around 1:45 PM CT, followed by Arkansas at 1:51 PM ET and Missouri about five minutes later.
Tourists are anticipating the eclipse as far north as New York’s Niagara Falls State Park – and many have already stepped outside to get the best viewing spot
The trail then entered Canada at Ontario and travels through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton, leaving continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 PM Newfoundland Time.
Some major cities and their metropolitan areas were within or near the path of totality.
Some of these include: Mazatlan and Torreon in Mexico; San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Fort Worth and Dallas in Texas; Little Rock in Arkansas; St. Louis, Missouri; Louisville, Kentucky; Indianapolis, Indiana; Dayton, Columbus, Toledo and Cleveland in Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Erie, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse in New York; and Hamilton, Toronto and Montreal in Canada.
At places along the path of totality, people could see the Sun’s corona – the star’s outer atmosphere – which is usually not visible due to the Sun’s brightness.
Illinois (pictured) is in the path of totality, with Carbondale experiencing the solar eclipse around 1:59 PM CT
The eclipse appeared in Arkansas at 1:51 p.m. Visitors add pins to a map to indicate where they are from
People looking from outside the path of totality will see a partial solar eclipse in which the moon obscures most of the sun’s face, but not all of it.
Of course, a cloudy day can spoil the view.
After this, the next total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States won’t occur until 2044.
A total solar eclipse unfolds in several phases, with the first beginning as a partial eclipse phase when the moon begins to move between the Earth and the sun, partially blocking it and making the sun look as if it has a crescent shape.
In the subsequent Baily’s Beads phase, points of light from the Sun shine around the edges of the Moon due to the Moon’s irregular topography, creating small beads of light.
In the diamond ring phase, a single bright spot appears along the edge of the moon, even as the sun’s atmosphere leaves a ring of light around the moon. The effect resembles the appearance of a diamond ring. This phenomenon precedes totality.
After totality, the other phases repeat as the moon continues on its path until the eclipse ends.