Across North America on Monday, the moon has materialized and begun eating into the yellow orb of the sun, casting a shadow over a swath of Earth below, causing a total solar eclipse and reminding all in its path of our planet’s place in the cosmos.
The partial eclipse first made landfall on the continent near Mazatlán, Mexico, at 12:51 p.m. Eastern, where under mostly sunny skies eclipse-seekers are celebrating the celestial spectacle, sipping beer, dancing and singing along to Bad Bunny on the city’s seaside promenade.
It reached the United States at 1:10 p.m., dancing on the edge of Texas, near Eagle Pass, where heavy clouds did not dampen the enthusiasm of dozens of people standing under a large Mexican flag that was visible from the Mexican city that is just over the border, Piedras Negras.
Where the weather cooperates, millions of people will behold the disorienting, disquieting wonder of darkness in daytime. They will experience it in central and northern Mexico and the plains of Texas; throughout the Midwest, New York State and New England; and across pockets of eastern Canada, from the steeples and spires of Montreal to the rugged coastline of Newfoundland.
Behind eclipse glasses or other safe means of viewing the phenomenon, they will watch the moon’s shadow grow until the light is extinguished…..
image…A group watching the solar eclipse in 2017 at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.Credit…Mario Anzuoni/Reuters