The Eclipse Crosses America

Jim Urquhart—Reuters

Millions of people looked skyward to witness the Great American Eclipse

For photographers, the Great American Eclipse is a visual, movable feast—and a very fast one. The zone of totality will zip across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina at an average of 1,700 mph (2,735 k/h). That means that unlike other celestial events, which look more or less the same from more or less any place on Earth, the scene will be different in every city or town or square of farmland in the path of totality, depending on elevation, clouds, light pollution, tree cover and surrounding buildings.

Below are some of those very particular images captured in some of those very different places, as the images are taken and made available: from Oregon and Casper, Wyo.—where TIME’s reporting team is deployed—to Nashville and Columbia, S.C., and, the rarest shot of all, from the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit. Tens of millions of people will see the eclipse live as it plays out. For the billions of others who won’t be in the path of totality, the event will nonetheless live forever as the day’s historical photo album takes shape. — Jeffrey Kluger

Los Angeles

Richard Vogel—AP

Madras, Ore.

David Butow—Redux

David Butow—Redux

Depoe Bay, Ore.

Mike Blake—Reuters

Carbondale, Ill.

Brian Snyder—Reuters

Scott Olson—Getty Images

Nashville, Tenn.

John Minchillo—AP

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn.

Jonathan Ernst—Reuters

Washington, D.C.

Andrew Harnik—AP

Hilton Head, S.C.

Win McNamee—Getty Images

New York City

Michael Brochstein—Sipa USA

Chilmark, Mass.

Justin Lane—EPA

Jeffrey Kluger is time’s editor-at-large. follow him on twitter @jeffreykluger.

andrew katz, WHO edited this photo essay, IS time’s senior multimedia editor. follow him on twitter @katz.

josh raab, WHO edited this photo essay, IS a multimedia editor at time. follow him on instagram @instagraabit.