Thousands witnessed a rare, coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in the United States on Monday. The moon made its first contact with the sun in Oregon just after noon Eastern Time, marking the beginning of the total solar eclipse. The eclipse ended at 3 pm local time (12.30 am IST) in South Carolina. The last time an eclipse had travelled across the entire United States was in 1918.

In some parts of the country, because of bad weather, only a partial eclipse was visible. Many had camped out across the country, in full gear with telescopes, cameras and their protective glasses.

Here are some photos:

Sky-gazers use protective glasses to see the solar eclipse from Beckman Lawn at Caltech in Pasadena, California. [Credit: AFP]
Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while standing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House in Washington. [Credit: Reuters]
The sun forms a crescent during the total solar eclipse as viewed from Charleston, South Carolina. [Credit: AFP]
Spectators at a football stadium in Carbondale, Illinois, react to the total eclipse. [Credit: Reuters]