Live photos: watch the total solar eclipse unfold across the country

On Monday, millions of Americans will catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse that will hurtle across America at about 2,000 miles per hour. It’s a tremendous visual spectacle that everyone from kids on iPhones to NASA’s top scientists will be documenting with photos and video. (For more on what scientists can learn about the sun by photographing an eclipse, read this piece by Vox’s Brian Resnick.)

For the towns and cities along the 70-mile-wide path of totality, which stretches from Oregon to South Carolina, the eclipse has also been a rare opportunity to attract thousands of visitors from around the world. Many communities have planned eclipse festivals, astronomy talks, science education, and special musical events (like Close Encounters of the Symphonic Kind in Casper, Wyoming, for instance) to celebrate.

The towns — as well as the national parks — along the path are also expecting heavy traffic and strains on local infrastructure from the huge crowds flocking to this narrow band of the country.

Here are a few of our favorite images of this very special astronomical event, the likes of which hasn’t been visible from the contiguous United States since 1979. We'll be updating this post throughout the day with images of the eclipse itself as well as the crowds viewing it on the ground.

St. Louis, Missouri

Jeff Roberson/AP

Isle of Palms, South Carolina

Mic Smith/AP

Washington, DC

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Atlanta, Georgia

David Goldman/AP

David Goldman/AP

New York, New York

Seth Wenig/AP

Michael Noble Jr./AP

Carbondale, Illinois

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Birmingham, Alabama

Brynn Anderson/AP

Menan, Idaho

Natalie Behring/Getty Images

Natalie Behring/Getty Images

Natalie Behring/Getty Images

Mexico City, Mexico

Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Share your experience in the path of totality

Did you see the total solar eclipse on August 21? Tell us about how it made you feel, using only six words, on Twitter or Instagram with #VoxEclipseIn6Words.

We might include your response in a story to help people understand what it feels like to see the sun completely obscured by the moon.

New York, New York

Michael Noble Jr./AP

Miami, Florida

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Golden, Colorado

Seth McConnell/The Denver Post via Getty Images

New York, New York

Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

Boston, Massachusetts

Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Acton, Massachusetts

Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Washington, DC

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

Charleston, South Carolina

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Indianapolis, Indiana

Darron Cummings/AP

New York, New York

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Columbia, South Carolina

Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Las Vegas, Nevada

John Locher/AP

Alto Pass, Illinois

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Nashville, Tennesse

John Minchillo/AP

Boston, Massachusetts

Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Falls City, Nebraska

Nati Harnik/AP

Washington, DC

Andrew Harnik/AP

Los Angeles, California

Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Washington, DC

Alex Brandon/AP

Portland, Oregon

Craig Mitchelldyer/AP

Los Angeles, California

Richard Vogel/AP

Jackson, Wyoming

George Frey/Getty Images

Charleston, South Carolina

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Los Angeles, California

Richard Vogel/AP

Charleston, South Carolina

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Casper, Wyoming

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Jackson, Wyoming

George Frey/Getty Images

Salem, Oregon

Don Ryan/AP

Redmond, Oregon

Ted S. Warren/AP

Mitchell, Oregon

Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Mitchell, Oregon

Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Ross Lake, Washington

Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images

Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images

Salem, Oregon

Andrew Selsky/AP

Don Ryan/AP

Ross Lake, Washington

Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images

Washington, DC

Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Carbondale, Illinois

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Hopkinsville, Kentucky

Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Casper, Wyoming

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Jackson, Wyoming

George Frey/Getty Images

Prineville, Oregon, August 20

Oregon State Police/AP