Millions of people in North America gathered on Monday to watch the rare phenomenon of a total solar eclipse, with many wearing special protective glasses for an event that won't happen again for 21 years.

The eclipse drew everyday people, amateur astronomers, scientists and those wanting to experience something out of this world in a narrow corridor from the United States to Mexico and Canada.

All watched the sun become obscured for up to four minutes and 28 seconds in the middle of the afternoon. The next time there will be a similar total solar eclipse visible to as many people coast to coast will be in 2045.

Crowds first watched the skies go dark in Mazatlan, Mexico at 11:07 am PDT, before the eclipse path moved into Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Then, it could be seen in another 12 US states in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and New England.