Total solar eclipse sweeps through Mexico, Texas, New York, and beyond [Photos]

Read Time:3 Minute, 39 Second

The highly anticipated total solar eclipse travelled from the Pacific coast of Mexico to Atlantic Canada on Monday, briefly ensconcing parts of Texas, the Midwest, upstate New York and New England in darkness as it made a more than 10,000-mile journey across North America—the first total eclipse to sweep through the U.S. in nearly seven years.

The diamond ring effect is seen as the moon eclipses the sun on Monday in Fort Worth, Texas.GETTY IMAGES

KEY FACTS

The total eclipse became visible near the Mexican city of Mazatlan at around 2:07 p.m. Eastern time, according to NASA, darkening the sky in the coastal city for a few minutes as the moon blocked out the sun’s rays.

The “path of totality”—or the area in which the sun will be completely obscured by the moon for roughly four minutes—passed over the U.S.-Mexico border less than 30 minutes later, and reached Cleveland at 3:15 p.m. Eastern, and Burlington, Vermont, around 3:27 p.m. Eastern.

While millions of Americans watched the eclipse, many had their view blocked by overcast skies, with moderate visibility from Texas to Ohio and New York, according to AccuWeather meteorologists, though viewers in northern Maine and New Hampshire, as well as Texas, had some of the best shots of the eclipse under clear skies.

The moon begins its descent below the sun’s horizon as seen from Brady, Texas.GETTY IMAGES

Forbes Daily: Join over 1 million Forbes Daily subscribers and get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday.Sign Up

By signing up, you accept and agree to our Terms of Service (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and you acknowledge our Privacy Statement. Forbes is protected by reCAPTCHA, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

A bride and groom view the solar eclipse amid a darkened sky after marrying at a mass wedding at the … [+]GETTY IMAGES

Totality approached Bloomington, Indiana, as spectators looked on.AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Spectators gather in a field on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.GETTY IMAGES

Stargazers at Niagara Falls prepare for the total solar eclipse.AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

The moon begins to eclipse the sun during a total solar eclipse at Niagara Falls State Park.AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

The so-called diamond ring is visible during the eclipse in Niagara Falls, New York.GETTY IMAGES

People gather to watch totality during the eclipse in Niagara Falls, New York.GETTY IMAGES

The moon eclipses the sun as seen from Stowe, Vermont.AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

A partial solar eclipse seen between the crown of the Statue of Liberty in New York City.AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

For stargazers who did stare directly at the sun without protective glasses, or using only sunglasses, experts advise speaking to a medical professional for potential effects from eclipse blindness (retinal burns from staring at the sun). While that blindness is often temporary, it can leave lasting effects, in addition to headaches, reduced visual acuity, light sensitivity and visual distortion people often experience after staring at the sun.

SURPRISING FACT

The eclipse also brought a slate of rare astronomical and visual phenomena, allowing stargazers to catch a rare glimpse of the sun’s atmosphere, a midday view of the so-called devil comet and an effect called double rings, resembling the last flash of a sunset before the sun is entirely blocked.