Canadians across the country put on protective glasses to take in a partial solar eclipse on Monday, while south of the border Americans travelled to the path of totality to see the moon completely blot out the sun during a rare coast-to-coast total solar eclipse.
Did you miss the show? Take in some of the best videos and photos here.
Part I: Getting ready
In the United States, millions of Americans gazed in wonder through telescopes, cameras and disposable protective glasses Monday.
Image | eclipse makeshift glasses
Caption: Annie Gray Penuel and Lauren Peck, both of Dallas, wear their makeshift eclipse glasses at Nashville's eclipse viewing party ahead of the solar eclipse.
Scientists watched from telescopes, the International Space Station, planes and high-altitude balloons beaming back live video.
Image | eclipse research kentucky
Caption: Mike Newchurch, left, professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Ala., and graduate student Paula Tucker prepare a weather balloon before releasing it to perform research during the solar eclipse near Hopkinsville, Ky.
Though not so striking as a full eclipse, the partial eclipse drew large crowds in Canada, as this line in Edmonton illustrated.
Even a quick glance at the sun is never safe, particularly during an eclipse.
Image | SOLAR-ECLIPSE/USA
Caption: Ariana Mareyev, 10, wears several pairs of solar glasses on the flight deck of the Naval museum ship U.S.S. Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, S.C. (Randall Hill/Reuters)
Despite all the warnings, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump briefly looked directly at the sun without eclipse glasses.
Image | SOLAR-ECLIPSE/USA-TRUMP
Caption: Without protective glasses on, Melania Trump looks up at the solar eclipse. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Then the president did, too.
Image | SOLAR-ECLIPSE/USA-TRUMP
Caption: Without his protective glasses on, U.S. President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Eventually they both came around.
Image | SOLAR-ECLIPSE/USA-TRUMP
Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump and Melania Trump watch the solar eclipse from the White House - this time, with protective glasses. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
NASA reported 4.4 million people were watching its TV coverage midway through the eclipse.
Image | SOLAR-ECLIPSE/USA-TWEETS
Caption: The International Space Station, in silhouette, transits the sun during a partial solar eclipse seen from Northern Cascades National Park in Washington state. (Bill Ingalls/NASA/handout via Reuters)
It was the most-observed and most-photographed eclipse in history, with many Americans staking out prime viewing spots.
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Caption: People watch the start of the solar eclipse and raise their hands in prayer in a viewing event led by Native American elders at Big Summit Prairie ranch in Oregon's Ochoco National Forest.
The Earth, moon and sun line up perfectly every one to three years, briefly turning day into night for a sliver of the planet.
People in the path of the full eclipse — known as the path of totality — were giddy, as can be seen in this video of thousands of screaming attendees at a football stadium in Carbondale, Ill.
Media Video | (not specified) : Total solar eclipse: 158 seconds of darkness in Carbondale, Ill.
Caption: Thousands cheer as darkness takes over the football stadium at Southern Illinois University
Skies were clear along most of the route, to the relief of those who feared cloud cover would spoil this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Image | SOLAR-ECLIPSE/USA
Caption: A jet plane flies by the total solar eclipse in Guernsey, Wy. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)
This is the first eclipse of the social media era to pass through such a heavily populated area.
Image | SOLAR-ECLIPSE/USA
Caption: People watch the total solar eclipse from Clingmans Dome, the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
The next coast-to-coast eclipse in the U.S. is not until 2045.
Image | SOLAR-ECLIPSE/USA
Caption: Enthusiasts Tanner Person, right, and Josh Blink, both from Vacaville, Calif., watch a total solar eclipse while standing atop Carroll Rim Trail at Painted Hills, a unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, near Mitchell, Ore. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)
Crickets chirped and the stars came out in the middle of the day.
Upset that you missed the show? Canada gets its own solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Image | April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Caption: The path of totality in 2024 will cross the southern tips of Ontario and Quebec, central New Brunswick, western P.E.I. and central Newfoundland. (CBC)
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