黑料社

Millions of Americans gazed in wonder through telescopes, cameras and disposable protective glasses Monday as the moon blotted out the sun in the first full-blown solar eclipse to sweep the U.S. from coast to coast in nearly a century.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really, really, really, really awesome,鈥� said 9-year-old Cami Smith as she watched the fully eclipsed sun from a gravel lane near her grandfather鈥檚 home at Beverly Beach, Oregon.

The temperature dropped, birds quieted down, crickets chirped and the stars came out in the middle of the day as the line of darkness raced across the continent and Americans oohed, aahed and shouted at the sight.

In Boise, Idaho, where the sun was more than 99 percent blocked, people clapped and whooped, and the street lights came on briefly, while in Nashville, Tennessee, people craned their necks at the sky and knocked back longneck beers at Nudie鈥檚 Honky Tonk bar.

It promised to be the most observed and photographed eclipse in history, with many Americans staking out prime viewing spots and settling onto blankets and lawn chairs to watch, especially along the path of totality 鈥� the line of deep shadow created when the sun is completely obscured except for the delicate ring of light known as the corona.

The shadow 鈥� a corridor just 60 to 70 miles (96 to 113 kilometers) wide 鈥� came ashore in Oregon and then began traveling diagonally across the heartland to South Carolina, with darkness from the totality lasting only around two to three minutes in any one spot.

The rest of North America was treated to a partial eclipse, as were Central American and the top of South America.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all part of something celestial 鈥� so much bigger than us, so mysterious,鈥� said Ed Sullivan, who traveled from Richmond, Virginia, to Glendo Reservoir in Wyoming. 鈥淭here is so much to ponder I don鈥檛 even know what questions to ask, but I enjoy just feeling the mystery.鈥�

With 200 million people within a day鈥檚 drive from the path of totality, towns and parks saw big crowds. 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.

鈥淭he show has just begun, people! What a gorgeous day! Isn鈥檛 this great, people?鈥� Jim Todd, a director at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, told a crowd of thousands at an amphitheater in Salem, Oregon, as the moon took an ever-bigger bite out of the sun.

NASA reported 4.4 million people were watching its TV coverage midway through the eclipse, the biggest livestream event in the space agency鈥檚 history.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like nothing else you will ever see or ever do,鈥� said veteran eclipse-watcher Mike O鈥橪eary of San Diego, who set up his camera along with among hundreds of other amateur astronomers gathered in Casper, Wyoming. 鈥淚t can be religious. It makes you feel insignificant, like you鈥檙e just a speck in the whole scheme of things.鈥�

Astronomers were giddy with excitement. A solar eclipse is considered one of the grandest of cosmic spectacles.

NASA solar physicist Alex Young said the last time earthlings had a connection like this to the heavens was during man鈥檚 first flight to the moon, on Apollo 8 in 1968. The first, famous Earthrise photo came from that mission and, like this eclipse, showed us 鈥渨e are part of something bigger.鈥�

With a half hour to go before totality, NASA鈥檚 acting administrator, Robert Lightfoot, enjoyed the moon鈥檚 鈥渇irst bites out of the sun鈥� from a plane flying over the Oregon coast and declared it 鈥渏ust an incredible view.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 about to fight this man for a window seat,鈥� Lightfoot said, referring to a fellow NASA official.

NASA鈥檚 planetary science director, Jim Green, a usually talkative sort, managed an 鈥淥h, wow!鈥� when totality arrived in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and shouted: 鈥淭here鈥檚 Venus! There鈥檚 Venus!鈥�

Hoping to learn more about the sun鈥檚 composition and activity, NASA and other scientists watched and analyzed from telescopes on the ground and in orbit, the International Space Station, airplanes and scores of high-altitude balloons beaming back live video.

Citizen scientists also planned to monitor animal and plant behavior as day turned into twilight. Thousands of people streamed into the Nashville Zoo just to watch the animals鈥� reaction.

The Earth, moon and sun line up perfectly every one to three years, briefly turning day into night for a sliver of the planet. But these sights normally are in no man鈥檚 land, like the vast Pacific or Earth鈥檚 poles. This is the first eclipse of the social media era to pass through such a heavily populated area.

The moon hasn鈥檛 thrown this much shade at the U.S. since 1918, during the country鈥檚 last coast-to-coast total eclipse. In fact, the U.S. mainland hasn鈥檛 seen a total solar eclipse since 1979 鈥� and even then, only five states in the Northwest experienced total darkness.

Scientists said the total eclipse would cast a shadow that would race 2,600 miles (4,200 kilometers) through 14 states, entering near Lincoln City, Oregon, at 1:16 p.m. EDT, moving over Casper, Wyoming; Carbondale, Illinois; and Nashville, Tennessee, and then exiting near Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:47 p.m. EDT.

Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois saw the longest stretch of darkness: 2 minutes and 44 seconds.

Joe Roth, an amateur photographer, traveled south from the Chicago area to Alto Pass, Illinois, to catch his first total solar eclipse 鈥� on his 62nd birthday, no less. He said the stars aligned for him 鈥� 鈥渁 Kodak moment for me to cherish and experience.鈥�

Kim Kniseley drove overnight from Roanoke, Virginia, arriving in Madisonville, Tennessee, before dawn to get a parking spot at Kefauver Park, where by sunrise dozens of folks had claimed benches and set up tents.

He said he could have stayed home in Roanoke and seen a partial eclipse of 90 percent, but that would have been like 鈥済oing to a rock concert and you鈥檙e standing in the parking lot.鈥�

Scientists warned people not to look into the sun without protection, except when the sun is 100 percent covered. To avoid eye damage, people were reminded to use special protective eyeglasses or pinhole projectors that can cast an image of the eclipse into a box.

The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will be in 2024. The next coast-to-coast one will not be until 2045.