The 12 Most Amazing Photos Of The Eclipse

Author:

August 22, 2017

mbg Sustainability + Health Director

Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us."

Photo by Getty

August 22, 2017

Yesterday, Americans set out to various corners of the country to catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse. Those lucky enough to be in the path of totality prepared for an apocalyptic two minutes of darkness. Beachgoers and sunbathers swapped their Ray-Bans for pairs of NASA-certified frames. In busy cities, sidewalks and rooftops overflowed as thousands clutched disheveled cereal boxes to their faces as makeshift sun viewers.

It almost felt like a midsummer New Year's Eve as people from all walks of life gathered to count down to a moment together. For a brief time, we put our routines on hold, turned our attention upward, and took a collective gasp in awe of the world around us.

This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

Before we kick off the countdown to the 2024 eclipse, let's revisit some of the most stunning shots from the day.

The moment of totality. Experiencing my first total solar eclipse in the high country of Idaho as I partner with @LandRoverUSA in the new #Discovery. I spent a good chunk of the morning sitting in a meadow, waiting for it to happen. The two minutes where it got completely dark were surreal to say the least. The birds quieted, the sky over the valley below was sunset orange..

A post shared by Alex Strohl (@alexstrohl) on Aug 21, 2017 at 12:47pm PDT

If I'm honest, I wasn't that excited for the solar eclipse, but I bought an 85$ lens and decided to shoot it for fun. The experience its self was incredible, I'm so happy I decided to go out watch it. It's funny how a 85$ lens was able to give me a usable image so I thought I'd post it up. I hope some of you were able to experience the amazing phenomenon as well :) 🌝🌚 #solar eclipse #solareclipse2017 #solareclipse #eclipse2017

A post shared by Rob Strok (@robstrok) on Aug 21, 2017 at 11:04am PDT

From light, to dark to light. I'm still buzzzzzzzzinggggggg ⚡️⚡️⚡️🌕🌑🌕⚡️⚡️⚡️ #SolarEclipse #TotalEclipse #Eclipse

A post shared by Caley Alyssa (@caleyalyssa) on Aug 21, 2017 at 12:41pm PDT

Behold! This progression of the partial solar eclipse took place over Ross Lake, in Northern Cascades National Park, Washington on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. A total solar eclipse swept across the path of totality, a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls #sun #solareclipse #totalsolareclipse #partialsolareclipse #eclipse2017 #astronomy #heliophysics #moon #nasa #eclipse #solarsystem #science #research

A post shared by NASA (@nasa) on Aug 21, 2017 at 3:57pm PDT

Photograph by @babaktafreshi | This photo is one of the first glimpses of #eclipse2017 captured by National Geographic photographer Babak Tafreshi in a jet above the Pacific at the moment the eclipse began. Babak is aboard the flight along with two @Airbnb guests who won the chance to be among the first to witness the solar eclipse before it crosses the US. - We are high above the clouds with @airbnb bringing you some of the first glimpses of the Solar Eclipse. Follow us all day as we bring you incredible moments and stories from our experts #livefrom the air

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Aug 21, 2017 at 10:40am PDT

photo by @chamiltonjames / Charlie Hamilton James - family and friends watch as the solar eclipse almost reaches totality just south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming this morning. The experience was incredible - as the moon moved across the path of the sun the light began to drop and with it the temperature. At totality the sky was almost dark and there was a distinct chill. From all around on the hilltops and in the valleys people were cheering. It was all over in around 2 minutes but for the hundreds of thousands of people that have travelled across the world and throughout the US i’m sure it was well worth the journey. #eclipse #eclipse2017

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Aug 21, 2017 at 1:48pm PDT

Little eclipse shadows 🌙 #solareclipse #yyj

A post shared by Bri (@runliftyogi) on Aug 21, 2017 at 10:33am PDT

Skipped #trainingday, but loved watching the #eclipse today and nobody was blinded... #eclipse2017 #totality #pathtototality #solareclipse #solareclipse2017 #grothausk9 #instadog #germanshepherd #germanshepherdsofinstagram #lifeonthefarm #lifewithagsd #inbend #centraloregon #prineville #madras #workingdogproblems #gsdworld #workingdogproblems

A post shared by Serenia Groth (@grothausk9) on Aug 21, 2017 at 1:49pm PDT

It's been over 3 hours since the solar eclipse passed over #JacksonHole and I'm still beaming. That was truly like nothing I've ever seen before! I took a risk for this photo, the full #totality lasted about 100 seconds which wasn't much time. This photo here is an in-camera double exposure of the #solarEclipse, 2 pictures exposed onto one frame in camera, no photoshop, all taken on a single RAW file. I first shot the eclipse and then turned my camera to @alexmason #highlining. There was a lot to mess up on my side, 2 different exposures, eclipse placement, 4 ProFoto strobes, timing Alex and having very little time to pull it off! The margin for error was slim and I was for sure nervous, I shot as many as I could before the moment passed. I'm grateful that it all worked out! Huge thank you to @redbull for believing in me to get the shot, Alex for walking the line, @andylewisglobal for all the laughs/expertise/rigging, @andybardon for being all around rad, @skydick for producing such a creative shoot, @jacksonhole for making the locations reality, my lovely wife @danahrichardson and the entire film crew and team! 🙏🏻😊

A post shared by Keith Ladzinski (@ladzinski) on Aug 21, 2017 at 1:54pm PDT

2:30 of totality. Better than anything I could've imagined. #eclipse #totality

A post shared by Dean Neistat (@deanneistat) on Aug 21, 2017 at 12:40pm PDT

I'm walking on.. moonshine ✨ 🌙 ✨ this was EPIC!!! // I was walking the line when totality arrived and I'll admit that when darkness #swallowed the world for a moment, I looked up at that big burning ring in the sky for a fraction of a second - it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever experienced! Photo: @chrisburkard

A post shared by R Y A N R O B I N S O N (@handsomerobinson) on Aug 21, 2017 at 5:21pm PDT

The #solareclipse2017 over Nashville. Incredible experience! Awesome photo cred 📸: @richardsparkmanproductions

A post shared by Nashville Tennessee (@nashvilletn) on Aug 21, 2017 at 3:01pm PDT

This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

The eclipse may have come and gone, but you can check out what it means for the rest of your week with this astrology forecast.

This ad is displayed using third party content and we do not control its accessibility features.

Emma Loewe

mbg Sustainability + Health Director

Emma Loewe is the Sustainability and Health Director at mindbodygreen and the author of Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us. She is also the co-author of The Spirit Almanac: A Modern Guide To Ancient Self Care, which she wrote alongside Lindsay Kellner.

Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes. She's spoken about the intersection of self-care and sustainability on podcasts and live events alongside environmental thought leaders like Marci Zaroff, Gay Browne, and Summer Rayne Oakes.

Daily Horoscope

Current Events

The 12 Most Amazing Photos Of The Eclipse

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement