1. “That was so amazing.”

There were gasps and cheers — and runs on protective eyewear — as a total eclipse traveled across the country for the first time since 1918. Big crowds lined the “path of totality,” the arc where the moon fully obscured the sun from Oregon to South Carolina, and millions more, including your delighted briefing writer in New York, saw a partial eclipse.

Readers sent in their own joyful photos of kids, dogs, tents, special glasses and more, while scientists conducted numerous experiments to deepen the understanding of both Earth’s atmosphere and the sun itself. Above, the scene in Folly Beach, S.C.