Total solar eclipse moves across North America

(Gray News/AP) - Monday’s total eclipse has moved across the United States, and if you were nowhere near the path of totality or if clouds spoiled your view, you could have caught the total solar eclipse online.

Weather permitting, tens of millions of people who lived along a narrow stretch from Mexico’s Pacific coast to eastern Canada looked skyward Monday to see daylight turn to twilight when the moon blotted out the sun.

Eclipse glasses were a must to prevent eye damage. The only time it was safe to ditch protective glasses was during totality, or the few minutes of complete darkness.

Local News Live presented its national coverage of The Great American Eclipse on Monday live from along the path of totality beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

Local News Live’s Debra Alfarone and Rasheeda Kabba anchored from Washington, D.C., alongside meteorologist Sandra Brogan and WWBT meteorologist Ros Runner with live reports from Gray reporters and correspondents along the path of totality from Texas to Maine.

In addition to the livestream that was added to this story, Local News Live’s coverage streamed on Gray Media Group’s digital and streaming outlets, as well over-the-air in various markets.

NASA offered several hours of streaming online and on NASA TV starting at 1 p.m. EDT from several cities along the totality path. The space agency showed telescope views of the sun, and there were appearances by scientists and space station astronauts. During the eclipse, small rockets blasted off from Wallops Island, Virginia, with science instruments into the electrically charged portion of the atmosphere near the edge of space known as the ionosphere.

Associated Press journalists fanned out along the path of totality to bring live coverage of watch parties and festivities. The AP livestream started at 10 a.m. EDT with views from Mazatlán, Mexico, and other locations. Commentary ran from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT featuring interviews with organizers, scientists and live views from along the path.

The Exploratorium museum featured live telescope images of the sun from Junction, Texas, and Torreón, Mexico. Researchers and students from the University of Maine launched high-altitude balloons in an experiment that was livestreamed from the stratosphere. Time and Date showed the sun from different telescope feeds. Slooh broadcast from Texas and had a network of partner telescopes along the path.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.