For the first time in 99 years, the moon aligned directly in front of the sun creating a stunning solar eclipse. The once-in-a-lifetime event was viewed by millions in the US and across the globe. Because it was such a rare occurrence, professional photographers and cell phone users alike were prepared to document the phenomenon. While there were a seemingly endless number of photos of the eclipse posted on social media, a handful of them stood out from the rest as being exceptionally impressive.
The celestial spectacle has been dubbed the Great American Eclipse and took place on Monday morning through the afternoon as the sun, moon, and Earth were perfectly aligned.
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While the sun’s diameter is 400 times the size of the moon, its distance is 400 times further away from Earth. Because of this, the moon was able to perfectly blot out the sun. However, the full eclipse wasn’t viewed by everyone. The path of totality stretched only 70 miles wide.
Even though there were many that might not have been able to view the full eclipse in person, Instagram users are here to save the day with some amazing images.
Best Photos of the Solar Eclipse
A partial eclipse could be seen all over the world by people living in North America, South America, Africa, and Europe.
In the US, the path of totality traveled directly through the country from the west coast to the east starting in Oregon and ending in South Carolina. There were 14 states that lie within the path and more than 12 million Americans that live inside the 70-mile wide line.
While only a small percentage live within the path, over half of the country’s population lives within 400 miles of it. So eclipse watchers all of the country were expected to travel to a location where they could experience the full effect of the eclipse.
Best Photos of the Solar Eclipse (cont.)
Over the course of the day, the eclipse could be seen in states including Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
For those living in places like Los Angeles, California or San Antonio, Texas, about 60 to 70 percent of the sun was blotted out by the moon, according to Business Insider.
The eclipse could first be seen in Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 9:05 PT, with total darkness beginning at 10:16 PT. The longest duration that the moon was directly in front of the sun could be seen near Carbondale, Illinois. It lasted for about 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
Best Photos of the Solar Eclipse (cont.)
In case you weren’t able to experience the eclipse, you won’t have to wait another 99 years to see one again.
The next solar eclipse will be happening in only seven years and will once again be traveling through North America. It will take place on April 8, 2024.
Next time around, the path of totality will be passing through different parts of the country. While Monday’s eclipse peaked at about two minutes, the 2024 eclipse will feature peaks of about four-and-half minutes.
Major cities like Austin, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Indianapolis; Toledo, Cleveland, and Akron, Ohio; Buffalo and Rochester, New York; Montpelier, Vermont; and Montreal will be in the path for the next solar eclipse.
Best Photos of the Solar Eclipse (cont.)
If you happen to be an eclipse chaser, or you don’t want to miss out like you did with this week’s solar eclipse, here’s a list of the total solar eclipses around the world in coming years:
- 2019: South Pacific, Chile, Argentina
- 2020: South Pacific, Chile, Argentina, South Atlantic
- 2021: Antarctica
- 2026: the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Spain
- 2027: Morocco, Spain, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia
- 2028: Australia, New Zealand
- 2030: Botswana, South Africa, Australia
If these amazing photos aren’t enough to persuade you to make sure you see the next eclipse, Bill Nye the Science Guy shared some convincing words about the amazing phenomenon earlier this week.
“Experiencing an eclipse changes the way we feel about space and how we are connected. I hope this moment reminds us all that we share a common origin among the stars, and that we are all citizens of the same planet,” said Bill Nye, CEO of the Planetary Society, to ABC News.
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