Solar eclipse nears totality as millions look skyward

Excitement in the US is building as the solar eclipse nears totality, with the moon set to totally blot out the sun in the coming minutes.

Coast to coast in the US, people are gathering at parks, science museums, baseball stadiums and elsewhere to watch the rare celestial event.

In Lincoln Beach, Oregon, the first place the eclipse is visible, clouds have taken a bite out of the rare event, but many are still watching the sun as it disappears.

Schweta Kulkarni, from left, Rhea Kulkarni and Saanvi Kulkarni, from Seattle, try out their eclipse glasses on the sun at a gathering of eclipse viewers in Salem, Ore., early Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (AP/Don Ryan)
Schweta Kulkarni, from left, Rhea Kulkarni and Saanvi Kulkarni, from Seattle, try out their eclipse glasses on the sun at a gathering of eclipse viewers in Salem, Ore., early August 21, 2017. (AP/Don Ryan)

“The show has just begun, people! What a gorgeous day! Isn’t this great people?” Jim Todd, a director at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, tells a crowd of thousands at an amphitheater in Salem, Oregon, as the moon seems to take an ever-bigger bite out of the sun.

The celestial show was expected to be the most observed and photographed eclipse in history, with millions staking out prime viewing spots and settling into lawn chairs to watch, especially along the path of totality — the projected line of shadow created when the sun is completely obscured. The path was 60 to 70 miles (96 to 113 kilometers) wide, running from Oregon to South Carolina.

— AP

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