The nation, divided by Trump v Biden, comes together in a moment that will not return for 40 years

Greenville, Maine: It’s 3:30 pm in Maine and the moon has slowly materialized and curled over the orb of the sun, plunging the lakeside town around me into total darkness.

For almost four minutes there is nothing but an ethereal serenity: the air temperature drops, the wind seems to decrease and the only thing I can see in the distance is the black silhouette of the moon surrounded by the pearly glow of the sun’s corona.

This was the first total eclipse I had ever seen and it was every bit as impressive as I expected, and well worth my two-day trip to totality – where the moon completely obscures the sun.

It was also the most active eclipse ever seen in North America: hundreds of millions of people live in or near the shadow’s path, while countless visitors traveled across the country to witness this stunning phenomenon.