Aug. 21, 2017, 11:59 a.m.

Reporting from Salem, Ore.

It took Amy Steel, an astronomy graduate student at the University ofMaryland, about 20 minutes to stop crying after the moment of totality passed in Salem, Ore.

"It was so pretty," she said, over and over again. "It was just so pretty."

"The moon was so black," she continued. "It was black like a hole in the sky. And Mercury! We never get photons from Mercury. It was so good."

Erin Meadors, who isabout to enter her sophomore year at Williams College, darted around the terrace ofa brick building sharing eight-minute video she took of the celestial event withfriends, coworkers and even a few strangers.

Meadors has spent herwhole summer preparing for the moment that just passed, checking camera and telescope equipment and then packing the instrumentsfor the trip from Massachusetts to Oregon.

Was it worth it?

"Oh my gosh," she gushed. "It was more than worth it. I should have been planning my whole life for this."

The rest is here:

Great American Eclipse: Everything you need to know - Los Angeles Times