An airplane passes by as the total solar eclipse is seen from Bloomington, Indiana, on Monday, April 8.
World
Updated 10:16 PM EDT, Mon April 8, 2024
A total solar eclipse passed over North America on Monday, putting on a dramatic show that was visible to millions of people.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun's face. Those within the path of totality, including 32 million people in the United States, saw the eclipse in its full splendor. People outside the path were still able to see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon blocks only part of the sun's face.
Many people traveled to the path of totality to attend special viewing parties. Those along the very center line of the path saw an eclipse that lasted between 3½ and 4 minutes, according toNASA.
For many Americans, this was the last chance to see a total solar eclipse for 20 years. The next one won't be visible across the contiguous United States until August 2044.
People gather on the National Mall in Washington, DC, to view the eclipse.
A visitor poses for a photograph with oversized eclipse glasses during a watch party at Niagara Falls in Ontario.
A newly married couple views the eclipse after a mass wedding in Russellville, Arkansas. They were one of 358 couples who tied the knot at an "Elope at the Eclipse" event.
The moon covers the sun during the eclipse in Magog, Quebec.
Visitors watch the eclipse move into totality at a watch party in Bloomington.
The Baily's Beads effect and red prominences coming off the sun are pictured during the eclipse as seen from Magog.
Eclipse watchers hold their hands up to the sky, hoping the clouds will part in Dunkirk, New York.
A White House staffer looks up at the eclipse as US President Joe Biden arrives at the Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin.
People observe the eclipse in Torreón, Mexico.
Melissa and Michael Richards use solar goggles to watch the eclipse in Wooster, Ohio.
The eclipse is seen from the Amistad National Recreational Area in Del Rio, Texas. It is one of the few National Park Service sites that was directly in the eclipse's path of totality.
Laquishia Ferguson and her boyfriend, Easy Ash, watch the eclipse from Jacksonville Beach in Florida. "I'm wowed," Ferguson said.
People watch the eclipse in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
People watch the eclipse from the Edge observation deck at Hudson Yards in New York City.
Nataya Tindle watches the eclipse outside of Union Station in Washington, DC.
Frederik De Vries, one of the eclipse watchers on the National Mall in Washington, DC, looks up at the sun using binoculars outfitted with solar film.
The moon begins to cover the sun in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Barbara McLaughlin and her granddaughter test out their eclipse glasses as they wait on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
A National Park volunteer looks through a telescope at the eclipse watch party at the Amistad National Recreational Area in Del Rio.
People watch the eclipse from the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, where practice rounds were being held ahead of the Masters tournament.
An airplane passes overhead as a partial eclipse is seen in the New York City borough of Queens.
Passengers sit on a special path-of-totality flight offered by Delta Air Lines on Monday.
People sit next to the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls as they wait for the eclipse.
A child fills in a Junior Ranger activity book during an eclipse watch party at the Amistad National Recreational Area in Del Rio.
People watch the eclipse begin in Eagle Pass.
A visitor poses with eclipse glasses during an eclipse viewing event at Niagara Falls.
People gather on the Edge observation deck at Hudson Yards in New York City ahead of the eclipse.
People in Niagara Falls gather on a sightseeing boat to break the Guinness World Record for the largest group of people dressed as the sun (309).
Kylee and Michael Rice prepare to take a hot air balloon ride before the mass wedding event in Russellville.
Artists sell eclipse-themed items at a popup art market in Del Rio on Saturday.
Gwen Rychlik gets a moon and cowboy hat tattoo during the Solar Eclipse Fest in Del Rio on Saturday.
A sculpture advertises Del Rio's Solar Eclipse Fest on Saturday.