‘Spectacular’ eclipse wows millions in North America

NIAGARA FALLS, New York state — Eclipse mania gripped North America on Monday as a breathtaking celestial spectacle captivated tens of millions of people, offering a rare blend of scientific interest, commercial opportunity and daytime partying.

The moon’s shadow plunged the Pacific coast of Mexico into total darkness at 11:07 am, then swept across the United States at supersonic speed, returning to the ocean over Canada’s Atlantic coast just under an hour and a half after landfall.

Festivals, viewing parties and even mass weddings took place along the eclipse’s path of totality, where the sun’s corona glowed from behind the moon in a display that left crowds awestruck.

“It was spectacular. I had never witnessed anything like it,” said Paulina Nava, a 36-year-old resident of the beachside Mexican city of Mazatlan.

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who traveled to the city, called the event a “very beautiful, unforgettable day”.

Thousands of kilometers away in downtown Montreal, Canada, office workers spilled out of skyscrapers to snap pictures with their eclipse glasses held to their phones.

“My heart was beating really fast,” said Erica Park, 26.

The path of totality was 185 km wide and home to nearly 32 million North Americans, according to NASA, which ran a live webcast throughout.

Hotels and short-term rentals in prime viewing locations were booked solid for months in advance across US states including Texas, Arkansas, Ohio and Maine.

In Ingram, Texas, eclipse watchers gathered from around the world, undeterred by overcast conditions.

Jeni Lyn Hunter, 57, and her husband Charles Guillory, 60, had traveled from Floresville, Texas. The couple identified as “pagans” and wore Merlin hats.

“It means a lot to me because I have stage four cancer, but I’m not giving up, this is a rebirth of the sun of life,” Hunter told Agence FrancePresse.