Science

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

By Kainaz Amaria@kainazamaria Updated Aug 21, 2017, 6:14pm EDT

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

The Gateway Arch in a multiple exposure photograph.

Isle of Palms, South Carolina

Washington, DC

Atlanta, Georgia

New York, New York

Carbondale, Illinois

Saluki Stadium, Southern Illinois University

Birmingham, Alabama

Menan, Idaho

Mexico City, Mexico

National Autonomous University of Mexico

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

Miami, Florida

The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science

Golden, Colorado

New York, New York

Boston, Massachusetts

Acton, Massachusetts

Washington, DC

Charleston, South Carolina

Indianapolis, Indiana

New York, New York

Top of the Rock' observatory, Rockefeller Center

Columbia, South Carolina

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Las Vegas, Nevada

Alto Pass, Illinois

Nashville, Tennesse

Boston, Massachusetts

Falls City, Nebraska

Washington, DC

Los Angeles, California

Washington, DC

Portland, Oregon

Los Angeles, California

Jackson, Wyoming

Charleston, South Carolina

Los Angeles, California

Charleston, South Carolina

Casper, Wyoming

Jackson, Wyoming

Salem, Oregon

Redmond, Oregon

Mitchell, Oregon

Big Summit Prairie ranch, Ochoco National Forest

Mitchell, Oregon

Ross Lake, Washington

Salem, Oregon

Ross Lake, Washington

Washington, DC

Carbondale, Illinois

Hopkinsville, Kentucky

Casper, Wyoming

Jackson, Wyoming

Prineville, Oregon, August 20

Big Summit Eclipse 2017 event near Prineville, Ore. The full solar eclipse will happen Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. — Big Summit Eclipse event

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

Share your experience in the path of totality

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

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