It was an amazing sight that became one of the most talked-about moments of the year so far.
But for those in Europe the solar eclipse was less than spectacular, with only part of the sun obscured by the moon.
The event caused huge excitement in the US where the phenomenon occurred for the first time in almost a century, with millions watching through telescopes, cameras and protective glasses.
Although those in Europe did not see the eclipse in full, it still made for some beautiful sunsets across the continent, including parts of the UK.
Although much of the UK was covered in cloud this evening, some people in Devon were able to see a partial eclipse of the sun, with this picture taken from East Budleigh. Weather experts say around five per cent of the sun was blocked by the moon from the vantage point of the UK
The full eclipse was visible in the US and has been a huge talking point over the past few days, but parts of Devon, Cornwall, pictured, and Dorset enjoyed a partial view
Elsewhere in Europe the partial eclipse made for a fine sunset, such as here in France where the Saint They chapel in Cleden-Cap-Sizun, Brittany, pictured
Many flocked to the coast of Brittany, pictured, to catch a glimpse of the partial eclipse as the sun set over the sea
Dr Francisco Diego of University College London described each eclipse is ‘unique’, saying that it ‘steals your soul and it happens in complete silence’.
He told BBC News: ‘You cannot anticipate how spectacular this is.
‘You are going to be in a landscape in a normal day and suddenly in a matter of minutes in the last part of the approach, a matter of seconds, this shadow of the moon is going to cover the entire landscape and you are being plunged into darkness.
‘You can see planets like Venus and Mercury and bright stars, there is twilight all around you and that happens so quickly. ‘
People were treated to the extraordinary image of what he described as a cosmic flower in the sky or the solar corona as darkness fell.
He described the diamond ring which happens at the end of the eclipse as ‘one of the most spectacular things to see’ when the sun begins to reappear.
Sailors on a boat off Galicia, north west Spain, right, also enjoyed a fine view of the partial eclipse, which cast a huge shadow the Saint They chapel in France, right
Gloomy skies scuppered the chances of many Britons who wanted to see the partial solar eclipse but that was not the case in Brittany, pictured, where the public could enjoy a fine view
Around a quarter of the sun was blocked out by the moon from the viewpoint of Tejeda on the Canary Islands, pictured
Another fine sunset was witnessed by skygazers in Ronda in the south of Spain, pictured, although not much of the sun was obscured
Gloomy skies scuppered the chances of many Britons who wanted to see a partial solar eclipse on Monday evening.
The movement of the moon between the Earth and sun produced a dramatic event in the US but Britons had hoped to see the moon appear to take a ‘bite’ out of the sun just before sunset.
Some in Devon, Cornwall and the south coast of Dorset saw a partial eclipse as about five per cent of the sun was covered, according to Met Office forecaster Luke Miall.
He said the best view came in Wymouth, Dorset, but that most of the country was covered by too much cloud to spot the eclipse, no matter how small it was.
US President Donald Trump watched from the Whitehouse alongside First Lady Melania while his daughter Ivanka and rock star Bruce Springsteen were among the excited big names who had tweeted advice that watchers should remember to wear their glasses when looking at the spectacle.
Oregon, US, was been plunged into darkness as the celestial event-of-a-lifetime begins to sweep across the US
At one point, a plane was highlighted against the darkened sun, illuminated only by the solar corona