SAN FRANCISCO, August 21, (THEWILL) – The moon has completely blocked out the sun’s rays in a rare total solar eclipse over North America.
The total eclipse, centred in a 100-kilometer-wide band stretching across 14 states, was first visible in the United States in Madras, Oregon in the north-western U.S starting at 10:19 a.m. and lasting for about two minutes.
The temperature dropped by a couple of degrees and the corona, the outermost part of the sun’s atmosphere, was visible as a glowing ring.
The eclipse began moving across the U.S, ending in South Carolina on Monday afternoon.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had reported that there would be a total solar eclipse with a path that would cross the U.S from coast to coast and be visible on August 21, beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Monday.
The historic event was called “The Great American Eclipse” and marked the first time since 1979 that a total solar eclipse would be visible from the contiguous U.S.
During the eclipse, which began in Oregon, the moon completely blocked the sun, and travelled diagonally across the country until it reached South Carolina.
