At 2:42 p.m. Monday, a solar eclipse reached its peak in Washington, D.C. as the moon blotted out 82 percent of the area’s sunlight.
Offices and schools emptied in the minutes leading up to 2:42 p.m. as thousands of people abandoned their desks and cubicles to view the celestial event.
Then, just minutes before peak coverage, a cloud obscured the sun and moon for many in D.C. itself. Still, cheers rang through D.C. as people put on their special eclipse glasses and watched the skies from parks, sidewalks and even rooftops.
The vibrant afternoon light dimmed to a subdued glow usually reserved for the hours before sunset. The temperature dropped by one degree. Shadows cast by leaves on trees morphed into crescent shapes.
President Donald Trump, the First Lady and their son, Barron Trump, stepped out onto the White House’s Truman Balcony sporting black, NASA-branded eclipse glasses.
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Vice President Mike Pence also celebrated the United States' first total eclipse in decades by hosting kids at his official home, the U.S. Naval Observatory.
At D.C. public schools, kids stood on playgrounds and on soccer fields wearing their glasses, closing out their first day of school with a memorable astronomy lesson.
Kendra Heffelbower, a teacher at C.W. Harris Elementary school, got 300 pairs glasses for the school's students through grants from National Public Radio and The Smithsonian. Leading up to the big moment, the kids excitedly showed off their glasses to News4's Mark Segraves.
At 2:42 p.m., parents, students and teachers looked to the sky over the sound of excited chatter. Afterwards, class was dismissed.
At the National Zoo, the lions awoke and paced around their enclosure as the light dimmed. Revelers gathered near the elephant enclosure to celebrate the eclipse.
Crowds also gathered at the National Air and Space Museum to gaze through glasses and solar safe telescopes.
The morning began with a scramble for eclipse glasses. A line formed outside the Warby Parker store in Bethesda before opening hours, and many last-minute glasses seekers left empty handed after the store’s 100 pairs flew out the door. Long lines stretched outside libraries and museums that had glasses to give away.
Workers across the country left their desks for an estimated average of 20 minutes, racking up $700 million in lost productivity, according to one estimate.
