The natural phenomenon has gripped the American public.

A total eclipse of the Sun plunged a stretch of North America into darkness on Monday, with millions of spectators across the US, Mexico and Canada hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare event.

It was North America’s biggest eclipse crowd ever, with the path of totality crossing directly over 44 million people.

Any excuse for a bit of Bonnie!

More were drawn in from across the world thanks to the lure of clear skies and up to four and a half minutes of midday darkness in some places.

Almost everyone in North America was guaranteed at least a partial eclipse, weather permitting.

The best weather was seen in Mexico and at the tail end of the eclipse in Vermont and Maine, as well as New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

“Cloud cover is one of the trickier things to forecast,” National Weather Service meteorologist Alexa Maines explained at Cleveland’s Great Lakes Science Centre on Sunday. “At the very least, it won’t snow.”