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| The Solar Eclipse: Highlights From Its Path Across the United States | The Solar Eclipse: Highlights From Its Path Across the United States |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| • A total solar eclipse made contact in Oregon just after 1:15 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, darkening skies as the moon obscured the sun and cast a long shadow across Earth. | • A total solar eclipse made contact in Oregon just after 1:15 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, darkening skies as the moon obscured the sun and cast a long shadow across Earth. |
| • It concluded its path just before 3 p.m. in South Carolina, where clouds obscured the moment of totality. | • It concluded its path just before 3 p.m. in South Carolina, where clouds obscured the moment of totality. |
| • Weather may have been an obstacle to completing some solar research during the eclipse. | |
| • In Washington, where the sun was about 80 percent obscured, President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, took in the partial eclipse at the White House. | |
| • We’ve collected and shared your photos from the eclipse here. If these pictures give you “FOMO,” your next shot at a Great American eclipse is 2,422 days away. | |
| • Sign up for the weekly Science Times email newsletter and like our Science page on Facebook. | • Sign up for the weekly Science Times email newsletter and like our Science page on Facebook. |
| At Depoe Bay, near where the line of totality first touched the United States, a flock of sea gulls hidden in fog called out loudly then went suddenly quiet. A chorus of gasps rang out among the scattered crowd of about a hundred still gathered at Government Point as the sun disappeared. Then a cheer went up as all dropped into darkness. | At Depoe Bay, near where the line of totality first touched the United States, a flock of sea gulls hidden in fog called out loudly then went suddenly quiet. A chorus of gasps rang out among the scattered crowd of about a hundred still gathered at Government Point as the sun disappeared. Then a cheer went up as all dropped into darkness. |
| Tina Foster, here with her family, was nearly in tears. | Tina Foster, here with her family, was nearly in tears. |
| “That was so amazing — to witness that in real life,” she said. “That was kind of life-changing, especially for the kids.” | “That was so amazing — to witness that in real life,” she said. “That was kind of life-changing, especially for the kids.” |
| Elsewhere in the state’s zone of totality, electronic signs along the highways flashed warnings that stopping was not permitted. The rule was ignored. As the moon swallowed the sun, a rest stop along Interstate 5 overflowed with cars. | Elsewhere in the state’s zone of totality, electronic signs along the highways flashed warnings that stopping was not permitted. The rule was ignored. As the moon swallowed the sun, a rest stop along Interstate 5 overflowed with cars. |
| In Salem, Ore., there were hugs, screams and tears, punctuated by cheers when the planet Venus became visible just before totality. | In Salem, Ore., there were hugs, screams and tears, punctuated by cheers when the planet Venus became visible just before totality. |
| Jay Pasachoff, one of the world’s leading eclipse astronomers, was grinning and walking through the crowd, hugging everybody after witnessing his 34th total eclipse. | |
| “This was absolutely fabulous,” he said. “As perfect as possible.” — Phoebe Flanigan, Thomas Fuller and Dennis Overbye | “This was absolutely fabulous,” he said. “As perfect as possible.” — Phoebe Flanigan, Thomas Fuller and Dennis Overbye |
| Some viewers expected disappointment as clouds filled skies on their parcel of the path of totality. | Some viewers expected disappointment as clouds filled skies on their parcel of the path of totality. |
| At Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice, Neb., the whole thing seemed in doubt. | At Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice, Neb., the whole thing seemed in doubt. |
| “Go away, clouds,” people chanted briefly as totality approached with the sun mostly obscured by a storm cloud. A few minutes later, when the sun became partially visible, the crowd cheered loudly. | “Go away, clouds,” people chanted briefly as totality approached with the sun mostly obscured by a storm cloud. A few minutes later, when the sun became partially visible, the crowd cheered loudly. |
| When totality started, the sky turned dark, a few sparrows fluttered past and a star became visible. But it was several seconds until the sun poked through a gap in the clouds, prompting gasps and applause. | When totality started, the sky turned dark, a few sparrows fluttered past and a star became visible. But it was several seconds until the sun poked through a gap in the clouds, prompting gasps and applause. |
| To the southeast, at Rosecrans Memorial Airport near St. Joseph, Mo., many visitors had traveled a long way to be disappointed by cloudy weather. | To the southeast, at Rosecrans Memorial Airport near St. Joseph, Mo., many visitors had traveled a long way to be disappointed by cloudy weather. |
| Daniel and Miriam Taylor from Auckland, New Zealand, reached the area around 5 a.m. Eastern time, Monday after a 36-hour trip, and sought to maintain an upbeat attitude. | Daniel and Miriam Taylor from Auckland, New Zealand, reached the area around 5 a.m. Eastern time, Monday after a 36-hour trip, and sought to maintain an upbeat attitude. |
| “It’s out of our control,” Mr. Taylor said. | “It’s out of our control,” Mr. Taylor said. |
| “Yeah, we’re pretty chill about it,” Ms. Taylor chimed in. “Obviously, it’d be amazing to see it. We were driving into this thunder lightning storm, and we’re just like, ‘This is part of it. Just being here is part of the atmosphere.’” | “Yeah, we’re pretty chill about it,” Ms. Taylor chimed in. “Obviously, it’d be amazing to see it. We were driving into this thunder lightning storm, and we’re just like, ‘This is part of it. Just being here is part of the atmosphere.’” |
| A few minutes later, when totality hit, the eclipse was visible for a few fleeting seconds, and people all around cheered. | A few minutes later, when totality hit, the eclipse was visible for a few fleeting seconds, and people all around cheered. |
| But Alex Shaller, 35, said he spent $800 to get to St. Joseph from Worcester, Mass., and that the weather was a bit of a letdown. | But Alex Shaller, 35, said he spent $800 to get to St. Joseph from Worcester, Mass., and that the weather was a bit of a letdown. |
| “It wasn’t as good as it could have been,” he said when asked about the experience. “I feel O.K. Not horrible, just O.K.” | “It wasn’t as good as it could have been,” he said when asked about the experience. “I feel O.K. Not horrible, just O.K.” |
| In Charleston, S.C., the last city on the eclipse route before it headed out over the Atlantic, heavy clouds obscured totality. | In Charleston, S.C., the last city on the eclipse route before it headed out over the Atlantic, heavy clouds obscured totality. |
| But the hundreds of students gathered at the College of Charleston were ready for a final party anyway, as classes start tomorrow. They hooted and hollered as the moon slowly worked its way across the sun — a sight that, with glasses, was visible through the clouds. And they screamed again after totality, when a crescent sun again made an appearance. | But the hundreds of students gathered at the College of Charleston were ready for a final party anyway, as classes start tomorrow. They hooted and hollered as the moon slowly worked its way across the sun — a sight that, with glasses, was visible through the clouds. And they screamed again after totality, when a crescent sun again made an appearance. |
| Then the moon’s shadow headed out past Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, across the coastal wetlands and out into the Atlantic. — John Eligon, Henry Fountain and Mitch Smith | Then the moon’s shadow headed out past Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, across the coastal wetlands and out into the Atlantic. — John Eligon, Henry Fountain and Mitch Smith |
| Total solar eclipses offer marvelous opportunities to study Earth’s intimate relationship with the sun. The eclipse’s passage across the United States offered unprecedented opportunities for astronomers and other scientists to study the sun’s mysterious corona and Earth’s ionosphere. | |
| But in Carbondale, Ill., where many scientists had gathered because of the duration of the eclipse there, weather almost deprived them of their chance for research. | |
| In the football stadium at Southern Illinois University, gigantic, cotton-candy clouds seemingly appeared out of nowhere to block the sun just one hour before totality. | |
| Sarah Kovac, a recent graduate of the university’s physics department, was diligently taking observations with her telescope on the stadium’s 40th yard line as a member of the Citizen Cate project. | |
| “We’re all excited to be here right now — as long as that doesn’t happen,” she said as she was interrupted by the first of many giant clouds to shroud the stadium. | |
| Anxiety spread across the crowd of thousands in the stadium as clouds queued up to cover the sun. | |
| It wasn’t until the second minute and 37th or 38th second that thinner clouds finally passed the eclipse, revealing a sensational diamond ring-like flash that drew deafening cries of excitement throughout the stadium. | |
| Ms. Kovac was disappointed, but optimistic. | |
| “We’re backing up our data and hopefully we got at least a second or two because we can get an image out of that, we can still do science with it,” she said. | |
| Back in Salem, Ore., students from Williams College had greater fortune with the weather, and said they had succeeded in their goals for gathering data. | |
| “It could not have been better,” said Dr. Pasachoff, who led their team. | |
| In the skies above the United States, scientists who oversaw pursuit of the eclipse’s path of totality aboard specially-equipped NASA aircraft had positive results, too. They attained their goal of observing the total eclipse above the clouds for more than seven minutes. | |
| “We got the data that we came for, and that’s a successful observation,” said Amir Caspi, an astrophysicist with the Southwest Research Institute who helped manage the mission from Houston. — Nicholas St. Fleur and Dennis Overbye | |
| In Washington, where the sun was about 80 percent obscured by the moon, President Trump, Melania Trump and their son, Barron Trump, took in the scene from the Truman Balcony just after 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. | In Washington, where the sun was about 80 percent obscured by the moon, President Trump, Melania Trump and their son, Barron Trump, took in the scene from the Truman Balcony just after 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. |
| By then, a busybody town had come to a quiet. Government workers clustered outside office buildings while tourists mingled next to the White House, unsure when, and where, to look. | By then, a busybody town had come to a quiet. Government workers clustered outside office buildings while tourists mingled next to the White House, unsure when, and where, to look. |
| Just before the first family appeared, Secret Service agents blew whistles to clear away pedestrians at the southern gates of the White House. Most scattered toward the Washington Monument. | Just before the first family appeared, Secret Service agents blew whistles to clear away pedestrians at the southern gates of the White House. Most scattered toward the Washington Monument. |
| A vendor outside the White House grounds selling Trump merchandise said people had come all morning looking to buy glasses for the eclipse, which he did not have. | A vendor outside the White House grounds selling Trump merchandise said people had come all morning looking to buy glasses for the eclipse, which he did not have. |
| The president waved to the onlookers at the White House and gave a thumbs-up gesture when a reporter inquired about the view. He observed the eclipse at its apex wearing glasses with Mrs. Trump for about 90 seconds. | The president waved to the onlookers at the White House and gave a thumbs-up gesture when a reporter inquired about the view. He observed the eclipse at its apex wearing glasses with Mrs. Trump for about 90 seconds. |
| Cathy and Jerry Hickey were laying on their backs in the shadow of the monument, looking to the sky through eclipse glasses. Ms. Hickey had planned to be at the Washington Monument ever since she heard of the eclipse. | |
| “It stands for our country,” she said. And “it points at the sun.” | “It stands for our country,” she said. And “it points at the sun.” |
| To rescue families who had not yet found eclipse glasses, two National Park Service rangers sat at a folding table by the monument, handing out the last of what had been hundreds of pairs. The rangers also gave away eclipse-themed “junior ranger” booklets to children. — Noah Weiland | To rescue families who had not yet found eclipse glasses, two National Park Service rangers sat at a folding table by the monument, handing out the last of what had been hundreds of pairs. The rangers also gave away eclipse-themed “junior ranger” booklets to children. — Noah Weiland |
| Farther north in New York, where the partially eclipsed sun appeared fitfully behind clouds, a positive mood swept over viewers at the American Museum of Natural History. | Farther north in New York, where the partially eclipsed sun appeared fitfully behind clouds, a positive mood swept over viewers at the American Museum of Natural History. |
| Nicole Yong, 30, said the event felt like an extension of the weekend and noted that the eclipse seemed to be bringing people together, with “everyone sharing their glasses, making room for others to sit down, taking only what they need so there’s enough for everyone else.” | Nicole Yong, 30, said the event felt like an extension of the weekend and noted that the eclipse seemed to be bringing people together, with “everyone sharing their glasses, making room for others to sit down, taking only what they need so there’s enough for everyone else.” |
| At the New York Hall of Science in Queens, children and their parents were in the majority among the hundreds gathered to take in the celestial phenomenon. | At the New York Hall of Science in Queens, children and their parents were in the majority among the hundreds gathered to take in the celestial phenomenon. |
| Patrick Rooney, 45, a New York firefighter from Bayside, arrived at the hall with his welding mask — protective gear equipped with auto-dimming goggles strong enough to filter out damaging sunlight. | Patrick Rooney, 45, a New York firefighter from Bayside, arrived at the hall with his welding mask — protective gear equipped with auto-dimming goggles strong enough to filter out damaging sunlight. |
| He occasionally handed the mask to his son, Patrick, 3, and daughter, Catherine, 4, who all but disappeared from the shoulders up under the adult-sized headgear. | |
| “I’m not sure they know exactly what they’re looking at,” Mr. Rooney said. “But they’re enjoying themselves and that’s all that matters.” — Emily Palmer and Sean Piccoli | |