Total solar eclipse frenzy grips North America

Al Jazeera:

Millions of people in the path of a solar eclipse across North America are gazing towards the heavens as the moon completely blocks the sun for more than four minutes in some areas.

The town of Mazatlan on Mexico’s west coast in was one of the first places to witness the full eclipse on Monday, with thousands of people gathering there to look skywards.

Lourdes Corro, 43, was one of the visitors who arrived in Mazatlan especially for the eclipse: She travelled 10 hours by car to get there.

“The last one I saw was when I was 9 years old,” Corro told the Reuters news agency. “There are a few clouds, but we can still see the sun.”

Beyond Mazatlan, the eclipse was visible, weather permitting, along a path starting in Mexico and then crossing through the United States and into Canada.

Eclipse fans across North American have travelled to places along the “path of totality”, where the moon will fully blot out the sun. They include the city of Fredericksburg in central Texas, where the total eclipse occurred shortly after 1:30pm (18:30 GMT).

That is where Michael Zeiler, a veteran eclipse chaser from New Mexico who has already witnessed 11 total eclipses across the globe, set himself up to view the latest one.

“First-time viewers of a total eclipse will be gobsmacked by the sight,” Zeiler said. “It will be a peak life experience.”