On April 8, those in the path of the total solar eclipse were able to witness a rare moment of alignment between the sun and moon. I flew from New York to Texas to see totality, and all I’ll say is that it was sufficiently exquisite. Rain or shine, totality or partiality, I hope your experience was terrific, too.

All of the submissions to our eclipse memory snapshot form were absolutely delightful! Below, you’ll find a compilation of a few eclipse memories we received.

My expectations were through the roof, but I was still not prepared for the magnificence of the time leading up to totality as the light faded and colors muted. I was a complete mess by the time totality began. I will never forget the day.

— Meg T., viewing from New Castle, IN

The birds which were chirping earlier seemed to have taken a refuge, and no cars were driving—all things went splendidly silent … Our two year old son—who was oblivious to the eclipse and the occurrence—understood the sudden and total darkness.

— Arpan, viewing from Waterford, VT

 

Just a sliver of sun seen, 94% coverage. Dogs barking and cooler.

— Tom M., viewing from Western Springs, IL

During totality someone mentioned the sunset all around. So I turned in all directions 360° and sure enough, the sun was setting in every direction.

— Kathy K., viewing from Galconda, IL

The most unusual thing I experienced was the light before totality. The shadows were weird, and it was like dusk, but completely different.

— Jenion T., viewing from Dallas, TX

This was an installment of our 2024 limited-run eclipse newsletter, “Moon Mail.” See the full “Moon Mail” archive here.