On Monday, millions of Americans will catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse that will hurtle across America at about 2,000 miles per hour. It’s a tremendous visual spectacle that everyone from kids on iPhones to NASA’s top scientists will be documenting with photos and video. (For more on what scientists can learn about the sun by photographing an eclipse, read this piece by Vox’s Brian Resnick.)
Live photos: watch the total solar eclipse unfold across the country
For the towns and cities along the 70-mile-wide path of totality, which stretches from Oregon to South Carolina, the eclipse has also been a rare opportunity to attract thousands of visitors from around the world. Many communities have planned eclipse festivals, astronomy talks, science education, and special musical events (like Close Encounters of the Symphonic Kind in Casper, Wyoming, for instance) to celebrate.
The towns — as well as the national parks — along the path are also expecting heavy traffic and strains on local infrastructure from the huge crowds flocking to this narrow band of the country.
Here are a few of our favorite images of this very special astronomical event, the likes of which hasn’t been visible from the contiguous United States since 1979. We’ll be updating this post throughout the day with images of the eclipse itself as well as the crowds viewing it on the ground.
St. Louis, Missouri
Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Mic Smith/AP
Washington, DC
Atlanta, Georgia
David Goldman/AP
David Goldman/AP
New York, New York
Michael Noble Jr./AP
Carbondale, Illinois
Birmingham, Alabama
Brynn Anderson/AP
Menan, Idaho
Natalie Behring/Getty Images
Natalie Behring/Getty Images
Natalie Behring/Getty Images
Mexico City, Mexico
Did you see the total solar eclipse on August 21? Tell us about how it made you feel, using only six words, on Twitter or Instagram with #VoxEclipseIn6Words.
We might include your response in a story to help people understand what it feels like to see the sun completely obscured by the moon.
New York, New York
Michael Noble Jr./AP
Miami, Florida
Golden, Colorado
New York, New York
Boston, Massachusetts
Acton, Massachusetts
Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Washington, DC
Charleston, South Carolina
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Indianapolis, Indiana
New York, New York
Columbia, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Las Vegas, Nevada
Alto Pass, Illinois
Nashville, Tennesse
John Minchillo/AP
Boston, Massachusetts
Falls City, Nebraska
Nati Harnik/AP
Washington, DC
Los Angeles, California
Washington, DC
Portland, Oregon
Craig Mitchelldyer/AP
Los Angeles, California
Jackson, Wyoming
Charleston, South Carolina
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Los Angeles, California
Charleston, South Carolina
Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Casper, Wyoming
Jackson, Wyoming
Salem, Oregon
Don Ryan/AP
Redmond, Oregon
Ted S. Warren/AP
Mitchell, Oregon
Mitchell, Oregon
Ross Lake, Washington
Bill Ingalls/NASA via Getty Images
Salem, Oregon
Andrew Selsky/AP
Don Ryan/AP
Ross Lake, Washington
Washington, DC
Carbondale, Illinois
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Casper, Wyoming
Jackson, Wyoming
Prineville, Oregon, August 20
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