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Here are the best eclipse moments across Southern California
Cherri Haghighit views the start of the total solar eclipse at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California, on August 21, 2017. Emotional sky-gazers on the US West Coast cheered and applauded Monday as the Sun briefly vanished behind the Moon -- a rare total solar eclipse that will stretch across North America for the first time in nearly a century.
/ AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
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MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
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Iuliana Diaconescu, Gabriela Quiroz, and Jacqui Inouye work together to get the right pic of the eclipse on their DSLR camera
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Leo Duran/KPCC
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The Observatory set-up different viewers of the eclipse for those without glasses. This one trains a set of binoculars onto a sheet of paper
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Leo Duran/KPCC
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P11y8N22Rq0
Americans with telescopes, cameras and protective glasses staked out viewing spots along a narrow corridor from Oregon to South Carolina to watch the moon blot out the midday sun Monday in what promised to be the most observed and photographed eclipse in history.
Eclipse-watchers everywhere fretted about the weather and hoped for clear skies for the first total solar eclipse to sweep coast-to-coast across the U.S. in practically a century.
Here in L.A., we got another sunny day, so people were able to see the eclipse just fine.
At Griffith Observatory, thousands gathered to peer through telescopes and experience the celestial event together.
The Observatory set-up different viewers of the eclipse for those without glasses. This one trains a set of binoculars onto a sheet of paper
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Leo Duran/KPCC
)
Of course, capturing the moment is nearly as important as the experience itself. We saw a few friends collaborating to snag that perfect shot.
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Iuliana Diaconescu, Gabriela Quiroz, and Jacqui Inouye work together to get the right pic of the eclipse on their DSLR camera
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Leo Duran/KPCC
)
If you couldn't get your hands on a pair of shades for the eclipse, we may have found one of the culprits of the glasses shortage. https://twitter.com/MikeRoe/status/899646592243957760
One of the coolest parts of the eclipse isn't just seeing the sun being covered up — it's the way it changes the light all around you. The sun's light dimmed and temperatures cooled as the moon slid in front of the sun.
This might have been the moon's shining moment, but here in SoCal the sun still reigned.
This L.A.-based viewer gave the shirt off their back to see the eclipse.
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Some found it absolutely jaw-dropping.
Others, in classic L.A. fashion, got a little glam.
Ryan Gosling and Emma stone would have had a bit of a hard time dancing through the Griffith Observatory today.
https://twitter.com/Adam_Levy/status/899684989314383872
Local trees didn't want to be (sigh) leaf-t out of the fun.
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The eclipse got its groove on for this OC-based viewer.
https://twitter.com/natealcantara/status/899692488260165636
California wasn't one of the 11 states in the path of total darkness, but NASA live-streamed the eclipse for four and a half hours, beginning at 8:45 a.m.
KPCC's Mike Roe traveled from Southern California to Madras, Oregon to witness the full eclipse. He braved the masses, the terrible traffic and stinky Porta Potties, but said seeing the total eclipse was "breathtaking."
"It was definitely worth it. It's an experience that puts the power of science right before your eyes," said Roe, a digital producer. "It's something that's so rare to get a chance to see."
He added that he was already making plans to see the the next one in 2024.
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NPR tracked the path of today's eclipse, which you can check out below:
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