There is nothing like a total solar eclipse, it is a natural phenomenon, and millions of people across the United States experienced their first total solar eclipse last week. In the moments leading up to the totality, the sky to the west grew darker, almost as if someone placed an Instagram filter over the world. As the sun’s eclipsed crescent grew smaller and narrower, the world watched in awe. “This is absolutely fabulous,” said Jay Pasachoff, an astronomer at Williams College. “As perfect as possible.” The whole world went silent as the sun disappeared. Ignoring the occurrence entirely was difficult, at some point all of the fifty states were touched. In our own backyard, New York City, 70 percent of the sun was blocked. Spectators hooted and hollered as the moon crept across the sun and the uproars continued throughout the totality, and when the crescent sun made its appearance again, the crowds across the United States went wild. Of course, the whole experience wasn’t complete without the ‘eclipse glasses’. According to the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the only safe way to look at the total eclipse was through ‘eclipse glasses’. The AAS stressed that until the moon completely blocked out the sun the sunlight was very dangerous to the naked eye. Some people were still calling this a marketing ploy instead of a safety concern, but would you want to risk it? Luckily, the nation won’t have to wait decades for the next totality, a total eclipse will route from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024.