On 21 August 2017 the path of a total solar eclipse cut right across the US for the first time in nearly 40 years. For about two and a half minutes, the Moon will completely covered the face of the Sun, turning day into night. Here are some of the best photographs of the solar eclipse.

The solar eclipse is seen behind the Statue of Liberty

Composite image of a partial solar eclipse over Ross Lake, in Northern Cascades National Park, Washington

Composite image of theISS as it transits the Sun during a partial solar eclipse ©NASA/Joel Kowsky
Composite image of theInternational Space Station as it transits the Sun at roughly five miles per second during a partial solar eclipse.

The solar eclipse seen from ESA’s Sun-watching Proba-2 satellite

Jeff Thornton carries his daughter, Sammie, to view the eclipse, Oregon

Eclipse Parking this way

Pink flamingos named Fred and Matilda have their solar glasses on as they wait for the show

The Moon's shadow on Earth

In-camera multiple exposure of the solar eclipse as seen in Salem, Oregon

The total solar eclipse in Alliance, Nebraska

Boston residents check out the partial solar eclipse through cereal boxes

Mobile phones illuminateduring the solar eclipse totality during an event on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois

Spectators at Zivo Vineyards in Amity, Oregon, watch as the solar eclipse reaches totality

A steaming pot shows the eclipse in its shadows

The solar eclipse is seen behind the Washington Monument from the National Mall in Washington

A lens flare shows the solar eclipse in progress

13-year old Bozmean, Montana residents look toward the Sun through eclipse glasses

A woman holds a shadow after the total solar eclipse

The Great American Solar Eclipse reaches the 'diamond ring' stage just before totality

Rain clouds obscure the eclipse over Spaceship Earth at Epcot at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida

A composite image of thesolar eclipse, Illinois

A small plane is silhouetted by the eclipse as it flies thru the path of totality in Saluda, South Carolina

People look at a partial solar eclipse in the Institute of Astronomy and Meteorology at Guadalajara University, México

The eclipse approaches totality at Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale

The solar eclipse with a plane passing by from Philadelphia

The Sun is eclipsed by the Moon over top of the Empire State Building in New York City
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