Live photos: watch the total solar eclipse unfold across the country
On Monday, millions of Americans will catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse that will hurtle across America at about 2,000 miles per hour. It’s a tremendous visual spectacle that everyone from kids on iPhones to NASA’s top scientists will be documenting with photos and video. (For more on what scientists can learn about the sun by photographing an eclipse, read this piece by Vox’s Brian Resnick.)
For the towns and cities along the 70-mile-wide path of totality, which stretches from Oregon to South Carolina, the eclipse has also been a rare opportunity to attract thousands of visitors from around the world. Many communities have planned eclipse festivals, astronomy talks, science education, and special musical events (like Close Encounters of the Symphonic Kind in Casper, Wyoming, for instance) to celebrate.
The towns — as well as the national parks — along the path are also expecting heavy traffic and strains on local infrastructure from the huge crowds flocking to this narrow band of the country.
Here are a few of our favorite images of this very special astronomical event, the likes of which hasn’t been visible from the contiguous United States since 1979. We'll be updating this post throughout the day with images of the eclipse itself as well as the crowds viewing it on the ground.
Washington, DC, 9:59 am Eastern time
Carbondale, Illinois, 9:53 am Central time
Hopkinsville, Kentucky, 9:34 am Central time
Casper, Wyoming, 7:07 am Pacific time
Jackson, Wyoming, 6:28 am Pacific time
Prineville, Oregon, 7:19 pm Pacific time, August 20
Share your experience in the path of totality
Will you see the total solar eclipse on August 21? Tell us about how it made you feel, using only six words, on Twitter or Instagram with #VoxEclipseIn6Words.
We might include your response in a story to help people understand what it feels like to see the sun completely obscured by the moon.