A rare total solar eclipse swept across the U.S. from west to east on Monday, drawing millions of excited viewers into its narrow path of total darkness.
The eclipse first appeared over Lincoln City, Oregon, where crowds wearing protective glasses cheered as the moon completely covered the sun. Its 70-mile-wide shadow moved across the country all the way to South Carolina.
For a few moments, several cities went dark and temperatures dropped by up to 12 degrees. The sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona, became visible as a soft white ring around the moon.
Where skies were clear, bright stars and planets could be seen in the daytime. When the sun began to peek out again, it created a dramatic “diamond ring” effect.
Bill Nye, CEO of the Planetary Society, said he hoped the event reminded people that we all share the same planet and origins in the universe.
A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun. This one was especially historic because it was the first in 99 years to cross only the continental United States, and the first coast-to-coast U.S.– exclusive eclipse since 1776.
