Pictures of the solar eclipse from across North America
The solar eclipse appeared along Mexico's Pacific Coast to Texas to New York as thousands of people in North America viewed it.
The rare total solar eclipse that the world has been anticipating has started across North America.
A partial eclipse was spotted over parts of Mexico shortly after 10am local time.
People gathered outside Mazatlan to view the moon begin to cover the sun.
Some scientists positioned themselves in Torreón, Mexico, which has several prime spots to see the eclipse including Planetarium Torreón.
‘It’s a deserted area,’ said Gustavo Valdés of CNN. ‘There’s no urban pollution, there’s no artificial lighting. So it’s going to be really, really dark.’
A partial shadow was cast over Texas shortly after noon local time.
Metro US news editor experiences solar eclipse from New York City
On eclipse day, I walked into the MetroUK US newsroom in New York City equipped with safety viewing glasses and prepared to cover the rare event not only around North America, but from my desk.
Not the total eclipse, but 90% of the partial eclipse, was not visible from New York City. Conveniently, I was able to view the sun from the window next to my desk.
Around 2.50pm, a buzz started in the newsroom as my colleagues started using viewing classes to look out. I tried mine on and saw the moon beginning to cover the sun.
The sun was about one-third of the way covered when I recorded this video at 2.59pm, using the safety glasses to protect my iPhone camera.
Around 3.11pm local time, I noticed the sky getting noticeably darker.
The reported best time to see the partial eclipse in the city was at 3.25pm. A couple minutes before that, I looked up out the window again and saw the sun nearly covering the moon. It appeared to be 90% indeed.
As the total eclipse was underway in the Lone Star State, temperatures began to drop as sunlight was blocked. Several cities dropped by a couple of degrees in temperature. Places on the path of totality could experience up a 10-degree drop.
The eclipse started in Mexico around 11.07pm PDT and crossed into Texas at 1.27pm CDT. It is scheduled to end at 3.35pm EDT in Maine.
People on the path of totality will be able to witness a partial eclipse, then a total eclipse lasting about four minutes, followed by another partial eclipse.
An estimated 31.6million people reside on the path of totality and will be able to experience the phenomenon – if skies are clear.
Mazatlán was one of the first places in North America to see totality. The moon covered the sun and darkened the skies shortly after 11.20am local time.
At the peak of totality, viewers can see a ‘diamond ring effect’ as the last beams of sunlight create a halo around the moon.
The largest city outside of Texas on the path of totality is Indianapolis, Indiana. Almost 50,000 people descended on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Though Washington, DC, is not on the path of totality, President Joe Biden shared a video of himself wearing eclipse safety glasses from a balcony of the White House and had a message for Americans.
‘An eclipse is worth marveling at,’ Biden wrote in on X (formerly Twitter). ‘But don’t be silly, folks (– play it safe and wear protective eyewear.’
This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.
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