Millions of North Americans have witnessed a 4-minute total solar eclipse early today. Huge crowds turned out for the extremely rare event, prompting some cities to declare a state of emergency, but only the clouds created havoc for sky-gazers as they were plunged into temporary darkness. Researchers carried out scientific experiments, including peering into space with massive cameras to glimpse the Sun’s atmosphere. And people watching along the path of totality were urged to wear special glasses to avoid damaging their eyes. Elsewhere, academics watched animals in zoos – that might sound a bit weird but during the 2017 eclipse, giant Galapagos tortoises suddenly started mating… And in less fruitful endeavours, the phenomenon sparked an array of conspiracy theories and some excellent memes…