Last night, the world was greeted by the first total solar eclipse since the transcontinental total eclipse that swept across the US in August 2017 – and, with a little help from the picturesque backdrop of Chile and Argentina, it was an absolute beauty.

The path of totality, where the Moon's shadow that passes across Earth completely obscures the Sun, started cruising over the South Pacific east of New Zealand before reaching the west coast of Chile at 6.01pm UTC. The Moon's great shadow, or umbra, then made its way across the middle strip of South America and reached the end of totality at 8:44pm UTC as the Sun set over Argentina.

Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, and certain parts of Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, and Panama also managed to witness a partial eclipse, where the Moon only partially blocks out the Sun.

This part of the world experienced an especially busy afternoon. At the same time as the eclipse was making its way over the continent, a Category 4 hurricane was wreaking havoc over the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of Mexico. The stunning pair of spectacles were captured together in a number of satellite images by the National Weather Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and others. Look closely at the satellite video below and you'll even see a flash of lightning. 

Meanwhile, back home on Earth, flocks of sightseers headed outside into the streets and hillsides to enjoy the solar eclipse, especially in the Chilean coastal city of La Serena where over 300,000 visitors came to soak up the views. Among those spectators were a few famous faces, including Brian May from the band Queen, Bill Gates of Microsoft fame, former US president Bill Clinton, and Richard Branson. 

“People around the world made the voyage to Chile, hoping for an unrivaled view of the solar corona as the Moon passed between the Earth and the Sun, turning day into night for almost two minutes,” Claudio Melo, European Southern Observatory Representative in Chile, said in a statement. “These visitors were rewarded with pristine Chilean skies and a perfect view of the solar eclipse.”

If you missed this year's total solar eclipse, the next one will be in December 2020, once again in Chile and Argentina. The next total solar eclipse that will fall across North America will be on April 8, 2024, and will be visible in Mexico, central and northeastern US, and eastern Canada. Parts of Europe, such as Iceland, Spain, and Portugal, will also witness a total solar eclipse in August 2026.