For a few extraordinary minutes, day turned to night across parts of the world, as the Moon passed between the Earth and the Sun. For those beneath its shadow, the eclipse was not just a spectacle, but a reminder of how small we are in a much bigger universe.
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TRANSCRIPT
Darkness descending over parts of the planet, only for light to return within minutes, is the kind of happening that makes one question their reality.
“I don't know how to explain, but it felt like a different perspective of time, kind of like a whole day just came at once and I felt goosebumps because it just made us think about. I don't know, the shortness of life and how time can be different."
Eduarda Ortiz travelled from Brazil to Iceland to watch this year's only solar eclipse, where totality lasted just over two minutes.
It was indeed a sight to behold as the Moon cast its shadow across the Earth.
Thick cloud may have spoiled the view for some, but there was certainly no missing the darkness, and even those who knew exactly what was coming were taken by surprise.
Reykjavik salesperson Hakon Skulason was one of them.
"Yeah, I saw that it quickly came with darkness over the place. It was sort of surreal and it was strange. It was like from another planet or something. So I didn't know what to expect, but it was very surprising even though we didn't see the sun or anything."
In Paris, the eclipse wasn't total, but Simon Lucchesini says the changing light and temperature was strange.
"It's unusual, you know, the sky darkens, it seems like it's getting kind of cold. Yeah, you know, it's night time, it getting dark, it is normal that it is getting dark but it's not the same dark as just twilight. So yeah, it weird, basically it's weird and kind of beautiful too but I don't know how beautiful."
For most of human history, eclipses have inspired dramatic explanations.
In ancient China, people believed a dragon was swallowing the Sun.
Norse mythology blamed wolves.
And in Vietnam, the culprit was said to be a giant frog.
But the advent of science has proven dragons, wolves and frogs are not to blame.
Still, do this day, in many places, people bang pots and make as much noise as possible to scare away whatever creature was thought to be devouring the Sun.
And, remarkably, it always seemed to work, because, well, the Sun always returns.
But the real explanation is rather less frightening.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun.
The Sun is around 400 times wider than the Moon, but it is also roughly 400 times further away, meaning the two can appear almost exactly the same size in our sky.
Eclipses have also helped reshape our understanding of the universe.
Observations during the 1919 eclipse famously offered evidence for Einstein’s theory of general relativity.
Not bad for a few minutes of darkness.
For Brazilian teacher Maria Ortiz, watching the sky shift from day to night - then back again - was unforgettable.
"It was fantastic. Really touching, something that I have never seen before. It went completely dark and suddenly the day came again. It was really beautiful."
And in Greenland, Danish visitor Tina Moller was left thinking about the universe and what it may contain.
"It means that we are a part of something a little bit bigger — or much larger — than just here. And somehow I like that; that we are all part of something that is bigger. And maybe there is someone out there or someone out there, that are also looking at it from another space, that we are not aware of."
So when is it Australia's turn ?
July the 22nd, 2028, when a total eclipse will cross Australia, putting Sydney in darkness for more than three minutes.
For Sydney, perhaps all we'll need is a pair of eclipse glasses, some clear skies... and maybe a saucepan, just to be on the safe side.
