Total solar eclipse crosses North America: Live updates

(NEXSTAR) – For a few special minutes Monday, a total solar eclipse darkened skies across the U.S. If you weren’t in the path of totality – or if it was too cloudy during the big event – there are more opportunities to see eclipses in the coming years. However, you’ll need to either travel far or wait.

Read more here.

— Alix Martichoux

More than 200 couples got married at a Monday event in Russellville, Ark., just before the solar eclipse reached totality.

At an event titled, “Elope at the Eclipse,” hundreds of people gathered to tie the knot in the moments before totality, according to CNN and local reports. Totality there lasted 4 minutes.

Read the full story here.

— Sarah Fortinsky

A full solar eclipse, like the one sweeping across North America on Monday, will prevent solar power generation for facilities in the path of totality. This could particularly affect the parts of Texas in that path, as the Lone Star State has ramped up solar installation since 2017, the year of the previous eclipse on the continent.

In the case of an anticipated event like an eclipse, utilities and grid operators are able to prepare in advance to make up for the loss and keep the lights on. But the actions they’re taking to gird the grid against the eclipse offer a preview of a more complex problem that stretches beyond the short time the sun will be blocked.

Read the full story here.

— Zack Budryk

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Every now and then it falls apart. 

Cries of “ooh, I see it!” punctuated the dim skies over northern New York on Monday afternoon as the 2024 eclipse was largely precluded by overcast skies. Glimpses of the partial obstruction sporadically greeted tourists and local residents craning their necks upward.

Totality began at 3:18 local time, with slivers of light poking through before street lamps and safety lights clicked on for a four minute night. 

But the sun’s brief battle with the moon was literally overshadowed by its more common enemy: clouds. 

Totality ended at 3:22, behind full cloud cover.

— Tristan Lejeune

(NEXSTAR) – For weeks, experts have been warning people not to look at the total solar eclipse without the proper safety gear. Did you listen?

Looking at the sun – during an eclipse or any other time – without certified viewing glasses can cause permanent eye damage.

“The lenses of your eye … can concentrate the rays of the sun so strongly as to cause an immediate burn. The same effect will occur in the retina and create essentially a hole in your vision, which sometimes can be permanent,” explained Dr. Russell Van Gelder with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Read more here.

— Alix Martichoux

The NASA Moon account on X, formerly known as Twitter, trolled NASA’s Sun & Space page during the solar eclipse.

“Oops I did it again 📷 #totalsolareclipse” NASA Moon tweeted, with a picture of it blocking the sun account.

— Lexi Lonas

— Lexi Lonas

— Tristan Lejeune

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The total solar eclipse is passing through Arkansas.

Suddenly, the temperature dipped and the light dimmed, leaving crowds in sudden awe. Clapping broke out as darkness arose.

— Zach Schonfeld

The total solar eclipse is reaching parts of North America. If you’re not in a position to step outside with your handy eclipse glasses and see it yourself, you can watch it live here.

— Lexi Lonas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A partial eclipse has begun in Arkansas, where it is a warm day with few clouds in the sky.

— Zach Schonfeld

A few hundred people have gathered at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, Texas, to catch a glimpse of today’s total solar eclipse. Spectators began to see the moon slightly overlap the sun just before 12:30 p.m. ET.

The morning started off cloudy, but the sky has since cleared enough for the sun to peek out about an hour before totality begins. Some people have even brought their own telescopes to get a closer look, while others have set up their cameras with large lenses.

Park visitors can also pick up free glasses at a table at the park if they managed to leave the house without a pair.

– Elvia Limon

Schools across the country have been preparing millions of students for the solar eclipse Monday, an exciting opportunity for educators who see it as one of the few times they can bring a space lesson to life.  

Many schools within the path of the eclipse plan to close completely, but others have been getting into the spirit, crafting viewing glasses and loading up on solar science.

Read the full story here.

— Lexi Lonas

(NEXSTAR) – A long swath of the United States was in for a treat Monday, as a rare total solar eclipse passed over the country. Even those outside the path of totality were set to get a good view of a partial eclipse throughout the day.

If you want to know when to look to the sky Monday – with proper safety glasses, of course – NASA created a tool that allows you to search for the optimal viewing time by your ZIP code.

To see when the view will be best in your location, enter your ZIP code into the embedded search box below and hit enter. A countdown to the peak viewing time will appear, as will predicted weather conditions.

You can also open the NASA tool in a new tab here.

Read more here.

— Alix Martichoux

A monocular can be set up to project an image of the partially eclipsed sun onto an envelope.

As the eclipse progresses, the monocular will clearly show how much of the moon is covering the sun from the projections.

— Lexi Lonas

The partial eclipse has begun in Washington, D.C., with residential rooftop parties in full swing. Many people at a rooftop in the Cleveland Park neighborhood have been waiting for the main event for the last few hours and even took the day off from work to view this once in a decade event.

The partial eclipse will begin at 2:04 p.m. and end at 4:32 p.m., with maximum eclipse (87% of the Sun covered) at 3:20 p.m.

– Sarakshi Rai

The total eclipse is only anticipated to last about four minutes or less, but it could impact the weather in that time.

From dropping temperatures to changing cloud structures, read about the phenomenon’s potential effects here.

As excitement builds for the upcoming solar eclipse, be sure you are prepared to safely view the rare celestial event. 

To safely watch the phenomenon, you can wear special protective eclipse glasses or tune into NASA’s livestream — and refrain from trying to view the eclipse while driving.

Read more in-depth advice here.

Although the totality of Monday’s eclipse is only expected to last a few minutes, the total process is longer. At the beginning of the process, the sun will be fully visible in the sky, followed by the stage known as first contact, in which the moon begins to edge in front of the sun from the left side.

The moon slowly moves completely over the sun over a period lasting about an hour. During the stage known as second contact, the sun will be almost completely blocked, except for a few rays of light visible through the crags of the moon’s surface, a phenomenon called Bailey’s beads.

During the totality of the eclipse, those in the path will be able to see the sun almost completely obscured, with only a slim edge, or corona, visible.

–Zack Budryk

NASA warned Monday afternoon that people’s phone sensors could be damaged if pointed directly at the sun during the total solar eclipse.

“This is especially true if you’re using any sort of magnifying lens attachment on the phone,” the agency said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “You would need to utilize the proper filters just like on any other camera.”

“The best practice would be to hold a pair of eclipse glasses in front of your phone’s lenses when photographing the Sun at any point other than totality,” it added.

— Julia Shapero

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is in Niagara Falls ahead of a total solar eclipse across North America.

Eclipse glasses are not only useful for the short amount of time the moon covers the sun.

Using the glasses to look up at the sun on a normal day will give a cool experience for a user. The view will show the sun with darkness around it, with the chance of branches making an appearance if a person has trees in the way. 

Other items that could enhance the fun are pinhole projectors to make cool shapes on the ground during the eclipse. 

– Lexi Lonas

For a city with an average of 60 percent to 70 percent cloud cover in April, Cleveland so far has hit the eclipse jackpot.

With about an hour until the eclipse starts along Lake Erie, it’s in the 60s and almost clear, with some wispy clouds and bright sun.
Totality here starts at 3:17 p.m.

The city is not only a key spot for the eclipse but has been host to another major event, wrapping up the NCAA Women’s Final Four on Sunday night. Home to NASA’s Glenn Research Center, it is also where the space agency is anchoring its eclipse coverage.

–Katie Wadington

Spectators outside the eclipse’s path of totality may still be able to see the moon partially block out the sun. Do they need to wear special glasses to protect their eyes while viewing the phenomenon?

The short answer: yes. In fact, only those in the path of totality can go without eclipse glasses for part of the event.

Read more about why that is here.

The moon has started to cover up the sun as a partial eclipse begins over the South Pacific. Millions along a narrow corridor in North America from Mexico’s Pacific coast to eastern Canada hope for clouds to clear as they eagerly wait for totality to reach their location.

The first location in continental North America to experience totality: Mexico’s Pacific coast, at around 2 p.m. EDT Monday.

The weather isn’t looking good for a large part of the eclipse’s path. Clouds could get in the way for a stretch of the route, with the heaviest clouds expected in parts of Texas. The skies are expected to be clear in northern New England.

–The Associated Press