A total solar eclipse has begun in the United States, first making contact over Oregon with the moon completely blocking the sun and casting a shadow on Earth.
For a brief moment, the sky plunged into darkness and temperatures dropped in broad daylight. Crowds of viewers cheered and roared as the sun’s outer atmosphere, which is usually obscured by glare, appeared as a ring of ethereal white wisps around the moon while it blocked the solar surface.
From Oregon, the eclipse will arc west to east across 13 states, ending on South Carolina’s coast.
A total solar eclipse is when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, an occurrence that lasts up to three hours from beginning to end. Monday’s total solar eclipse is particularly rare because it’s the first time in 99 years that the path of totality exclusively crosses the continental United States from coast to coast. It’s also the first continent-wide eclipse to be visible only from the United States since 1776.
The last time the contiguous United States saw a total solar eclipse was Feb. 26, 1979, when the path of totality crossed the Pacific Northwest. ABC News’ Frank Reynolds anchored a special report on the celestial phenomenon at the time and pledged that the network would cover the next total solar eclipse in 2017.
“So that’s it — the last solar eclipse to be seen on this continent in this century. And as I said not until Aug. 21, 2017, will another eclipse be visible from North America. That’s 38 years from now. May the shadow of the moon fall on a world in peace. ABC News, of course, will bring you a complete report on that next eclipse 38 years from now,” Reynolds said before signing off
A total solar eclipse is visible only within a band called the path of totality. NASA estimated that more than 300 million people in the United States could have viewed Monday’s total solar eclipse.
However, a partial solar eclipse was visible in every U.S. state. In fact, all of North America, as well as parts of South America, Africa and Europe, had a view of at least a partial eclipse, according to NASA.
“While this total eclipse will pass right over the U.S., it really is an event for everyone on Earth,” Nye said. “Whether in the path of totality or partial eclipse zones, millions of people across multiple continents will pause from our normal activities to look up at our sun, moon and sky.”
The path of totality for Monday’s solar eclipse crossed the United States from west to east, sweeping over portions of 14 U.S. states: Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
The moon started to eclipse the sun over the West Coast just after 9 a.m. PT. From there, it raced across the country and left the East Coast just after 4 p.m. ET.
The exact times for partial and total phases of Monday’s eclipse varied, depending on one’s location.
With millions of people pouring into the U.S. cities within the path of totality, law enforcement, emergency personnel and hospitals there were on high alert.
Next Edition… Always Ahead!
