The Great American Eclipse finally occurred and was just as good as people knew it would be. Millions of people across the United States gathered to see the phenomenon, and the lucky ones who were in the path of totality actually experienced as the light went away for a brief moment.

Those in the path of totality cheered and clapped as the darkness descended around them, and even felt as the temperature dropped when the Moon covered the Sun.

The Great American Eclipse finally occurred and was just as good as people knew it would be. Image credit: Shadowandsubstance.com
The Great American Eclipse finally occurred and was just as good as people knew it would be. Image credit: Shadowandsubstance.com

The event was live streamed as well, so people around the world were able to see what the total eclipse looked like. Photos across social media –professional photos, that is— also showed the fantastic event.

Great American Eclipse was seen throughout the United States

The event began Monday morning on the West Coast, and the shadow began to grow as it spread throughout continental U.S. The Washington Post reports that in Casper, Wyoming, birds darted in every direction as the darkness came.

“You weren’t kidding about the goosebumps,” a man told another, as reported by The Washington Post.

At 10:15 a.m. Pacific time, the total eclipse began on the coast of Oregon and made its way onward at 2,100 miles per hour. It traveled a 3,000-mile path through Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, before disappearing off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:49 p.m. Eastern time.

Image credit: Chicago Tribune
Image credit: Chicago Tribune

A partial eclipse was also seen elsewhere outside the path of totality and in some parts of Europe, Africa, and the northern part of South America. The phenomenon certainly generated a lot of buzzes, and it seems as if people will talk about the Great American Eclipse for years to come.

If you happened to view the eclipse without proper protection (solar filter sunglasses) is possible that you might have suffered some damage to your eyes. Anyone who experiences vision change or eye pain –even if you did wear solar filters—should contact an eye doctor.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology says that if you damaged your eye you may start to notice changes to your vision within a few hours, but it’s likely that vision changes would become apparent by the next day. So, keep an eye for that.

Baby girl born on Monday was named ‘Eclipse’

In light of this rare phenomenon, a couple from South Carolina decided to name their newborn baby Eclipse. Eclipse Alizabeth Eubanks was born at 8:04 a.m. on Monday at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

The baby weighs 6 pounds, 3 ounces and measures 19 inches long, hospital officials told ABC News. The baby girl’s mother, Freedom Eubanks of Spartanburg, was to deliver on September 2, she said.

Image credit: Greenville Memorial Hospital / ABC News
Image credit: Greenville Memorial Hospital / ABC News

“I kind of felt like it was meant to happen, to have her on this day,” she told ABC News.

The parents originally intended to name the girl Violet, but seeing as she decided to be born today, they had to name her Eclipse. Eubanks said her family was shocked over the baby’s name, but now they think it was a great idea.

“I think it was just meant to be, her name,” said Eubanks. “We’re probably going to call her Clipsey.”

The hospital gave the newborns born Monday a cool onesie that reads “Total Solar Eclipse.”

Source: The Washinton Post