On 21 August 2017 a much-anticipated total solar eclipse swept across the United States. Tens of millions of people swarmed into the path of totality to catch a glimpse of this rare and awe-inspiring astronomical event. Most of them carried cameras to record what might be the most-photographed eclipse in history.
Below are a handful of the best images, taken from the ground and from the skies.
The Sun is obscured entirely by the Moon, with only the corona visible, seen from Madras, Oregon.
Rob Kerr / Getty
Bailey’s beads: tiny, uneven spots of light appear as light shines through bumps and irregularities in the terrain of the Moon.
NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
Darkness at noon: eclipse-watchers gather near Alliance, Nebraska.
RJ Sangosti / Getty
Staring at the Sun: eclipse watchers in Menan, Idaho.
Natalie Behring / Getty
Composite image showing the progress of the eclipse through the sky over Ross Lake, Washington.
Bill Ingalis / NASA
The shadow of the moon as seen by the GOES-16 satellite.
GOES-16 / NOAA
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory has its view of the Sun partially blocked by the Moon in this ultraviolet image.
NASA / SDO
The International Space Station drifts across the face of the Sun during the partial solar eclipse visible from Ross Lake, Washington.
