Solar Eclipse 2024

35 photos that show the rare astronomical event in all of its glory

Yahoo News Photo Staff and Neia Balao | Updated Mon, April 8, 2024 at 6:36 PM EDT

On Monday, droves of people donned protective eyewear and headed outdoors to catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse.

Yurem Rodriquez watches as the moon partially covers the sun during a total solar eclipse, as seen from Eagle Pass, Texas, on Monday. (Eric Gay/AP)

In the United States, the sun was fully covered across 15 states along the “path of totality.” For 49 states, a partial eclipse was visible. The partial eclipse began near Mazatlan, Mexico, at 12:51 p.m. ET and crossed the U.S. at 1:27 p.m. CT. The partial eclipse ends in Caribou, Maine at 4:40 p.m. ET.

This event marked the last opportunity to catch a total solar eclipse in the continental U.S. for approximately 20 years.

These are some photos of the total solar eclipse in all of its glory.

People use their cellphones as the sky darkens during a total solar eclipse in Mazatlan, Mexico, on Monday. (Fernando Llano/AP)

The diamond ring effect is seen as the moon eclipses the sun in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Tawhid Rana, of Midland, Mich., holds his daughter Thia as she views the sun through a telescope at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on Monday. (Michael Conroy/AP)

People observe the solar eclipse, in Torreon, Mexico. (Daniel Becerril/Reuters)

The solar eclipse is seen above the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on Monday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Children attend the eclipse viewing at Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Scott Gable for Yahoo News)

People look out toward Lake Erie and the horizon during a total solar eclipse under cloudy conditions at Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum in Dunkirk, N.Y. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

Senate pages wear eclipse glasses as they view the moon partially covering the sun during a total solar eclipse, in front of the U.S. Senate on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Brandon/AP)

People watch the partial solar eclipse as they gather on the observation deck of Edge at Hudson Yards in New York City. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

The moon partially covers the sun during a total solar eclipse, as seen from Eagle Pass, Texas. (Eric Gay/AP)

Couples to be wed exchange rings just before totality during a solar eclipse at a mass wedding ceremony at Trenton Community Park, in Trenton, Ohio. (Jon Cherry/AP)

Amerika Garcia uses a pair of protective lenses to look at the sun during a total solar eclipse in Piedras Negras, Mexico. (Sergio Flores for Yahoo News)

The moon partially covers the sun during a total solar eclipse, as seen from Mazatlan, Mexico. (Fernando Llano/AP)

Joe and Ric Solis use special glasses as they prepare to watch a total solar eclipse in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Eric Gay/AP)

Clouds part as a partial eclipse crosses over a church steeple in Manor, Texas. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)

Wendy and Richard Erhard watch the solar eclipse from the John F. Kennedy Memorial Overlook in Cleburne County, Ark. (Brad Vest for Yahoo News)

A kid watches the eclipse from the beach in Mazatlan, Mexico. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

A total solar eclipse is seen from Mazatlan, Mexico. (Henry Romero/Reuters)

People use special protective glasses to observe a total solar eclipse in Mazatlan, Mexico. (Henry Romero/Reuters)

A person uses two sets of glasses to see the eclipse in Mazatlan, Mexico. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

People gather under overcast skies ahead of a total solar eclipse in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Matt Rourke/AP)

Some of the 309 people who gathered to break the Guinness world record for the largest group of people dressed as the sun pose while boarding a sightseeing boat before the total solar eclipse in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Kyaw Soe Oo/Reuters)

Adrian Plaza, 9, tests his eclipse glasses ahead of a partial solar eclipse in Queens, N.Y. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Glasses that are being used to see the eclipse in Torreon, Mexico. (Getty Images)

People stand next to bubbles as they assemble to view a total solar eclipse in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Christian Monterrosa/Reuters)

People dance next to representations of the Earth, sun and moon at Saluki Stadium, ahead of a total solar eclipse, in Carbondale, Ill. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Tourists sleep next to the Horseshoe Falls in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Junior Espejo looks through eclipse glasses being handed out by NASA in Houlton, Maine. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

People are set up at Niagara Falls State Park ahead of a total solar eclipse across North America, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Members of the media set up at Niagara Falls State Park in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

A family poses for a photo with a large eclipse glasses display in front of the pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP)

Judah Terlep, 4, wears a mask with solar eclipse glasses, in Carbondale, Ill. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

People at Niagara Falls State Park watch Niagara Falls and the rainbow ahead of a solar eclipse to take place later in the day, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Soren Larson/Reuters)

A man holding a solar eclipse T-shirt poses for a photo at Niagara Falls State Park in Niagara Falls, Canada. (Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Related — The next total solar eclipse in the U.S

There are several other total solar eclipses scattered between April 8, 2024, and August 12, 2045. However, the 2045 solar eclipse will be the next one visible across most of the contiguous United States, according to NationalEclipse.com. Only three states are in the path of totality for a solar eclipse in 2044.

Viewers in what is called 'the path of totality' will see the moon completely block the sun—one of the most spectacular things anyone can see in their lifetime.

A woman in Florida claims she went on a shooting spree after being told to do so by God because of the total solar eclipse

Taylon Nichelle Celestine

Woman Says God Told Her to Shoot Interstate Drivers Because of the Eclipse, Fla. Police Say

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I never thought I’d be 46 and having a baby on my own — but here I am

Surprise, I’m pregnant! Here’s how it all happened

By Isha Sesay

Oct. 28, 2022, 12:52 AM AEDT

Embarking on this pregnancy journey by myself hasn't been easy, but I have no regrets. Courtesy Isha Sesay

TODAY.com will be following along on Isha Sesay’s pregnancy journey. For more of her story, be sure to check back here for periodic updates from Isha.

If you’d told the 16-year-old me that at 46, I’d be divorced, single, and having a baby on my own — by choice! — I’d have shuddered and firmly said “no!” Back then, I had very definite ideas about the future course my personal life would take, and it didn’t look like this. I imagined something way more straightforward and dare I say it, conventional.

I’ve been blessed to build the career of my dreams over decades as a journalist — 13 years on air for CNN International, traveling the world to cover global events and interviewing presidents, movie stars, and world leaders. I published a book, became a UN Goodwill Ambassador, and started a nonprofit to help empower African girls, but in my quiet moments the one thing I wanted the most, to become a mother, remained out of reach.

A brief marriage to a kind man didn’t result in children, and then the year I turned 40, my mum had a catastrophic stroke, leaving me no emotional space to contemplate anything other than caring for her. Six years went by and a few months ago I found myself in a subpar relationship with a man who took about 12 hours to reply to all my texts, among other red flags. It was then, in the aftermath of our inevitable breakup, that it hit me: Not having a child would be the greatest regret of my life. And with my biological clock ticking down, if I was waiting for the right man to come along before I did it, well, I might just find myself out of time.

In the aftermath of our breakup, it hit me: Not having a child would be the greatest regret of my life. ... If I was waiting for the right man to come along before I did it, well, I might just find myself out of time.

So, I decided to take control of my life and settle on the bravest and scariest decision I have ever made: to have a baby on my own. I had many long conversations with myself and tried to get to grips with questions about what it would mean to not have the support of a partner, both emotionally and financially. How would I handle society’s questions?  What would be a single parent means for my child? I still don’t have all the answers, but I decided to take the leap because I refuse to let fear, social conventions, or judgment hold me back from seeking this joy.

The process hasn’t been easy. The endless array of meetings with various doctors has also required a battery of blood tests, pelvic exams, bruising injections, nausea-inducing medication, and an unexpected fibroid surgery. But perhaps most challenging of all has been the emotional dimension of this journey, especially surrounding my choice of a sperm donor. The decision asked of me to confront questions surrounding the importance of the race, ethnicity, religion, and educational background of my child’s father. Essentially, it forced me to re-examine my own upbringing, values, and worldview. But harder still was the task of trying to tease clues from the questionnaires that would tell me whether a donor was a good man. Did he have a moral compass? Was he truly kind, empathetic, and open-minded? Ultimately, I made a decision — entirely on my own — and I have no regrets.

Getting pregnant forced me to ask tough questions about myself, my values, and my own upbringing. Courtesy Isha Sesay

My first IVF attempt was unsuccessful, and I cried for days afterward, before I could find the strength to start the process all over again a few months later. But with each passing day, I grew more fearful and anxious about my chances of being able to successfully carry a child. Those feelings only intensified when my doctor decided to halt my second attempt mid-cycle because my body was responding negatively to the medication. With two failed attempts to my name, I approached my third embryo transfer with relatively low expectations. In the two weeks that followed the procedure, my mind raced uncontrollably and I battled the urge to take an early pregnancy test. The day before I was scheduled to return to the clinic, I finally caved in and bought a home test because I couldn’t bear a repeat of the hours-long wait before the clinic called with the results. The next morning I got up long before the sun was up, anxiously headed to my bathroom, and opened the box. The minutes ticked by and I cycled through a myriad of emotions. When the word “pregnant” flashed up on the tiny screen, I screamed and fell to my knees before bursting into tears.

Even though many weeks have gone by since then and my belly is growing larger by the day, whenever I say the words, “I am pregnant,” it is with no small measure of amazement. I am elated, emotional, terrified, but above all thankful. My pregnancy journey is just beginning, but so far I can tell you that in addition to great joy, it has also brought unenviable amounts of nausea, fatigue, food aversions, sound sensitivity, and an ongoing battle with my hormones. In the weeks ahead, I plan to share more of my life-changing experience in the hope that if there is anyone out there being held back from chasing their heart’s desire — no matter what it is — maybe my story will spark something in them and provide the little nudge they need to go for it.

Source: This article was originally published on TODAY.com