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Best of the Solar Eclipse | Views From the International Space Station and Stunning Photography

Some of the most memorable images from the most-viewed solar eclipse of all time

The International Space Station makes its way across the eclipse…

Millions of Americans donned protective eyewear yesterday as the first solar eclipse to unfold from coast to coast in over a century plunged the country into darkness.

The main highlights from the event included the sun getting covered by the moon (if anyone can name us a higher light than the sun, we’ll be impressed) and President Donald Trump being photographed trying to look at the thing without protective sunglasses on – undeniably stupid, yet also maybe the only relatable thing the guy has done since becoming the President of the United States.

Anyway, another major highlight was all the amazing imagery and video footage that came out of the event, which was visible in an enormous 70-mile-wide, 2500-mile-long zone across America. The last time the eclipse was so visible in the U.S was back in 1918. This time around the event drew one of the biggest crowds in history, and is expected to be the most watched and photographed eclipse of all time.

Right at the front of the pack were the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). Safe to say they had their cameras at the ready:

Photo: Twitter / Jack Ficsher
Photo: Randy Bresnik / Twitter

While the bulk of the photographs from the ISS won’t drop for a few days, what was arguably even more impressive than the shots from ISS was the footage of the Space Station itself floating in front of the eclipse. Watch the stunning video here:

The eclipse plunged viewers into twilight (the colour, not the film series) for a full two minutes, lowering temperatures as it did so but taking just an hour and a half to traverse across America. You can watch a four-minute timelapse of the entire thing below:

…and if you’re still not content. Here’s some absolutely stunning images from the world of social media.

Photo/caption by @tedhesser _ Best view in the house. We planned and planned and planned. And then we captured a man, a mountaineer, inside a diamond ring. Huge props to @thistommysmith and @martinatib for climbing up the Monkey Face route during the eclipse! #Oregon

A post shared by Wilderness Culture (@wilderness_culture) on

This happened. A Total Solar Eclipse. A reminder, we are ONE. We are all equal inhabitants of a precious planet and there is only ONE like it! Love our only home and all the magic it has to offer. #SolarEclipse #Earth #EarthOurOnlyHome #NatureLove #NaturalPhenomenon #MoonAndSun #TotalEclipse #Repost @natgeo (@get_repost) ・・・ Photo by @jimmy_chin Jackson WY 11:38am 8.21.17 What a moment…the magic of the universe unveiled. I wish I could say I was waiting for exactly the right timing on this one….but I was chasing ten kids around the backyard and running by the camera randomly hitting the shutter button. This was the only frame that looked remotely like this. Just reinforces that serendipity can be your best friend when it comes to photography. @natgeo

A post shared by Dia Mirza (@diamirzaofficial) on

Follow @nature for more. Eclipse chasing by @weatherchannel #solareclipse #nature

A post shared by Nature (@nature) on

Eclipse Compilation. Your Welcome! #eclipse #solareclipse #lunareclipse #outerspace #nasa #science #god #sun #moon #milkyway

A post shared by David – loc0man – The IT Guys (@the_it_guys) on

…and solar eclipses will always remind us of these banger mountain bike and skiing videos from Danny MacAskill and Cody Townsend and the Salomon crew respectively!

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