'Spectacular' total eclipse leaves North Americans spellbound

Niagara Falls, US: Eclipse mania gripped North America on Monday as a breathtaking celestial spectacle captivated tens of millions of people, offering a rare blend of scientific interest, commercial opportunity and daytime partying.

The Moon's shadow plunged the Pacific coast of Mexico into total darkness at 11.07am local time (1807 GMT) then swept across the United States at supersonic speed, returning to the ocean over Canada's Atlantic coast just under an hour-and-a-half after landfall.