WASHINGTON -- President Trump and first lady Melania Trump watched the solar eclipse from a White House balcony.

For most of the viewing, the president and first lady wore solar eclipse glasses, but Mr. Trump was also photographed looking up at the sun without the protective eyewear for less than a second.

President Donald Trump looks up a the partial solar eclipse, with first lady Melania Trump, from the balcony of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 21, 2017. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

The first lady posted a photo on Twitter of them with the glasses on.

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"Exciting to watch the total eclipse with @potus today! #Eclipse2017," she tweeted.

The White House said Monday that the president and first lady planned to take in the cosmic spectacle from the Truman balcony on the second floor of the residence, overlooking the South Lawn.

This is the first full-blown solar eclipse to sweep the United States from coast to coast in nearly a century. Compared to the 14 states in the path of a total eclipse, Washington, D.C., experienced a partial eclipse.

The eclipse was expected to be the most watched and photographed in history.