The total solar eclipse that traversed North America’s continent has now passed over Mexico, the US, and Canada.
Skywatchers along Canada’s Atlantic coast saw the dramatic celestial show last, at 5:16 p.m. local time (3:46 p.m. ET), at 5:16 p.m.
Earlier on Monday, the first city to witness totality was Mazatlan, which is located on Mexico’s Pacific coast.
Then, despite overcast weather, the total eclipse darkened the skies over Texas, providing viewers with glimpses of breathtaking panoramas.
The midwestern US cities and towns came next, with Cleveland and Indianapolis among the locations where spectators enjoyed the excitement of the celestial spectacle.
NASA reports that the duration of the eclipse for those who were directly in the path of totality’s center was between three and four minutes.
32 million people are thought to reside within the path of totality in the US. Those in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine were able to witness a total solar eclipse, though some were threatened by inclement weather.
For the best eclipse viewing, only a few isolated clouds were predicted for Vermont to Maine and Missouri through southern Indiana. But there were advisories for unfavorable weather for a large portion of Texas and the eastern Great Lakes. Outside the path of totality, observers saw a partial solar eclipse, in which the moon appears to “bite” a crescent out of the sun.
Richard Canedo, a member of the Planetary Society since 1981, took advantage of the gloomy skies in Fredericksburg, Texas, by using them as a makeshift filter to take pictures of the complete eclipse with his handheld camera.
The hundreds of people in attendance in Fredericksburg, Texas, cheered and cried out, “Oh my God!” as they saw the sun entirely eclipsed and peek through clouds for more than four minutes.
The spectacular, flaming ring that was visible during totality even briefly revealed what Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye described as a potential prominence.
Nye, who was at the outdoor stage event in Texas, remarked, “It’s magical everyone.” “I am incredibly delighted to be sharing this with all of you.”
It was crucial to use a solar viewer or a set of approved eclipse glasses for safe stargazing.
The primary danger of staring at the sun without the use of solar viewers or eclipse glasses is solar retinopathy, a condition that causes irreversible damage to the eyes.
Over time, this ailment may get better or get worse, but there is no cure for it.
Make an appointment with a healthcare professional right away if you feel any symptoms or discomfort in your eyes. Ronald Benner, the president of the American Optometric Association and an optometrist, suggested using the doctor locator provided by the organization.
According to Benner, “it’s an alteration of color vision for most people.” “The colors don’t seem correct the next morning, or they can be completely bleached out or consistently blurry. It’s possible that some people genuinely suffer eyesight defects.
unique eclipse moments
Although the most thrilling portion of a complete solar eclipse is thought to be totality, there were other noteworthy phases to be aware of before to the big show.
The longest part of the event, aside from the weeks and months of build-up to the eclipse, was the partial eclipse, during which the moon gradually passed over the sun. This stage took about seventy to eighty minutes.
However, fifteen to twenty minutes before totality, when the skies began to darken and take on an unsettling gray hue, was a wonderful indicator for onlookers.
Then, a few stages occurred quickly one after the other, right before the sun’s light totally vanished from sight.
Skywatchers saw what are known as Baily’s beads—drops of sunshine that develop around the moon as sunlight streams over the craters and valleys on the lunar surface. A minute or so before totality, some of the drips seemed to combine after approximately 30 to 60 seconds, producing a shimmering “diamond ring” look.
The corona, or hot outer atmosphere, of the sun glows brightly during totality, and its feeble light is only seen when the sun’s extremely bright surface is obscured.
The primary event is totality, but there were also a few light specks in the sky close to the eclipse that belonged to Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and a faint amount of light from Saturn.
Researchers at the Fort Worth and Dallas zoos in Texas reported seeing several daytime zoo animals getting ready for bed during the fleeting darkness of the complete eclipse, while nocturnal critters like owls and ringtails started to wake.
The public was encouraged to engage in a portion of the research conducted on Monday through citizen projects.
Additionally, local temperatures in some places decreased by much to 9 degrees Fahrenheit during the brief period of totality.
On March 30, 2033, a partial solar eclipse will pass across the majority of the US, providing Alaskans with a glimpse of a total solar eclipse.
It won’t be possible to see a total solar eclipse from the contiguous US until August 22, 2044, and even then, it would only be seen across northern Canada and North Dakota.
August 12, 2045, is the date of the next total solar eclipse that will cross the Lower 48 states from coast to coast. A partial eclipse can be seen in other states. The line of totality will arc over California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
