A total solar eclipse has seen millions of people across a heavily populated swath of North America gazing toward the heavens, as the moon completely blocked the sun for more than four minutes in some places.
The eclipse was viewable, weather permitting, along a path starting in Mexico and then crossing through the United States and into Canada.
The resort city of Mazatlan in Mexico was one of the first places in the world to see the phenomenon unfold.
Cheers rang out along the beach as the moon began to pass over the sun.
Hundreds in a beachside park had passed the waiting time by readying their equipment and listening to a youth orchestra play Star Wars songs while a large screen projected images of Princess Leia behind them.
The main attraction at Niagara Falls is typically the more than 750,000 gallons of water that rush over the brink every second. On Monday, there was an eclipse.
Tourists streamed into Niagara Falls State Park with wagons, strollers, coolers and chairs. Photographers’ tripods lined a railing under cloudy skies. Dozens of people gather at the viewing spot near a large waterfall with cameras and tripods
US President Joe Biden posted a brief video on X to encourage Americans to wear eye protection when viewing the eclipse — in a subtle dig at his predecessor and 2024 rival, former president Donald Trump.
“Folks, enjoy the eclipse, but play it safe, don’t be silly,” Mr Biden said in a video showing him donning eclipse glasses and looking skyward from the balcony outside the Blue Room of the White House.
That’s the spot where Trump glanced up toward the sun without eye protection in 2017.
