CARBONDALE, Ill. — A few beads of sunlight slipped past the rugged surface of the moon, and then southern Illinois plunged into darkness. A collective, excited gasp rippled through the crowd as people stood agape with their heads tilted back. A ring of bright light from the giant fireball delineated the moon’s shadow, and the horizon took on a yellow glow. “That’s so, so cool,” said Lynn .
In a global rarity, Southern Illinois was in the path of totality for the second time in seven years. The contiguous United States won’t see another total eclipse until 2044.