Here’s what the Science News family did for the eclipse

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We came. We saw. We earned our 2017 eclipse t-shirts.

For us, the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse was the culmination of weeks — nay, months — of planning the stories you’ve recently seen on Science News. And as the big day finally approached, many members of the Science News staff past and present traveled far and wide to experience the spectacle.

Undeterred by traffic and clouds, and fueled by bottomless fried chicken and moon pies, correspondents made their way to small towns and big cities in the path of totality. For many of us, this was our first total solar eclipse, and it lived up to the hype. Astronomy writer Lisa Grossman wrote from her perch on a mountaintop in Wyoming, “I thought I knew what to expect from my first total solar eclipse. I had no idea.”

Even the crew at the Science News offices in Washington, D.C., got a pretty sweet view of the moon blocking out 81 percent of the sun. And it has inspired many of us to start planning now for the total solar eclipse that will cross the United States in April 2024.

All in all, the 2017 eclipse was unlike anything we’ve seen before, and it’s something we’re not likely to forget. But just in case, the video below showcases some snapshots from our trips to totality and back again.