Apr 9: A total solar eclipse passed over North America on Monday, putting on a dramatic show that was visible to millions of people.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between Earth and the sun, completely blocking the sun’s face. Those within the path of totality, including 32 million people in the United States, saw the eclipse in its full splendour. People outside the path were still able to see a partial solar eclipse, where the moon blocks only part of the sun’s face.

Many people travelled to the path of totality to attend special viewing parties. Those along the very centre line of the path saw an eclipse that lasted between 3½ and 4 minutes, according to NASA.

For many Americans, this was the last chance to see a total solar eclipse for 20 years. The next one won’t be visible across the contiguous United States until August 2044.

Frederik De Vries, one of the eclipse watchers on the National Mall in Washington, DC, looks up at the sun using binoculars outfitted with solar film. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

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Laquishia Ferguson and her boyfriend, Easy Ash, watch the eclipse from Jacksonville Beach in Florida. “I’m wowed,” Ferguson said. Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union/USA Today Network

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A sculpture advertises Del Rio’s Solar Eclipse Fest on Saturday. Sarah Silbiger for CNN

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People watch the eclipse begin in Eagle Pass. Eric Gay/AP

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People observe the eclipse in Torreón, Mexico. Daniel Becerril/Reuters

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Barbara McLaughlin and her granddaughter test out their eclipse glasses as they wait on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

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The moon begins to cover the sun in Eagle Pass, Texas. Eric Gay/AP

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Passengers sit on a special path-of-totality flight offered by Delta Air Lines on Monday. Leonardo Benassatto/Reuters

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An aeroplane passes overhead as a partial eclipse is seen in the New York City borough of Queens. Andrew Kelly/Reuters

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People watch the eclipse from the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, where practice rounds were being held ahead of the Masters tournament. Mike Blake/Reuters

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Melissa and Michael Richards use solar goggles to watch the eclipse in Wooster, Ohio. Erin Hooley/AP

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The eclipse is seen from the Amistad National Recreational Area in Del Rio, Texas. It is one of the few National Park Service sites that was directly in the eclipse’s path of totality. Sarah Silbiger for CNN

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Eclipse watchers hold their hands up to the sky, hoping the clouds will part in Dunkirk, New York. Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

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Nataya Tindle watches the eclipse outside of Union Station in Washington, DC. Rebecca Wright/CNN

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