The iconic Empire State Building has its shades on and is ready for the darkness to descend upon the Big Apple.

In a meme posted by the building’s official X account, the skyscraper is sporting a pair of sunglasses indicating it is ready to face the eclipse head on.

On Friday, when there was unexpectedly an earthquake that rocked New York City for a few moments, the building’s X account made sure to let followers know: ‘I AM FINE’

Bonnie Tyler’s 1983 hit ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ is exploding in popularity across music platforms, as the Great American Eclipse hits cities all over the country on Monday.

The song, according to CNN has soared in popularity by nearly 50 percent on Spotify in the last week, a figure that the company expects will go up on Monday.

It is also the most popular song being added to ‘eclipse’ playlists on the streaming service.

On iTunes, it was the tenth most purchased song Monday.

The Welsh singer, now 72, commented in 2011 on the periodic eclipse-generated popularity bump her hit recieves.

‘Notifications are blowing up. *checks news* Ah. There’s an eclipse,’ she wrote more than a decade ago on what was then Twitter.

The last time the US experienced a total solar eclipse, sales and downloads of the song increased by more than 500 percent.

The 2024 Great American Eclipse has begun in New York City, with 90 percent coverage of the sun by the moon expected at 3.25pm.

The event technically begins the moment the edge of the moon touches the edge of the sun, but NYC skies will likely not begin truly darkening until around 2.50pm.

The solar eclipse has reached totality for the first time, as the moon completely blocks the sun in Mexico and continues to move toward the United States

Meme creators, politicians, and consumer brands alike are using Monday’s solar eclipse as an opportunity to generate interest and laughter online:

The first imagery of the solar eclipse out of Mazatlan, Mexico has arrived.

The area will now wait for totality, which will will occur in about an hour, as the eclipse begins on its path through Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

LaVerne Biser saw his first solar eclipse in 1963.

‘You see one, you want to see them all, he said.’

The couple were married for 78 years and saw 12 eclipses before his wife, Marion’s, death last year.

Now living in North Texas, Biser said this is the first time in his eclipse career that the celestial event has come to him.

The total solar eclipse’s path of totality will pass over North Texas, and Biser plans to view it in Plano with his daughter and her family.

It will be his first time seeing an eclipse without Marion.

‘You’d be sorry that she wasn’t there with you,’ he said. ‘Enjoy the moment … that’s it. Enjoy the moment. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.’

The White House is dispatching Vice President Kamala Harris to Philadelphia to catch a glimpse of the eclipse on Monday afternoon.

Erie, Pennsylvania – on the other side of the state – is in the direct path of totality, but the view from Philadelphia will likely still be fairly complete.

The partial eclipse is set to begin in Pennsylvania just after 2pm, with totality in Erie occurring at 3.16pm.

The vice president, who is currently in active campaign mode ahead of the November election, will exit Air Force Two and greet Philadelphians, including young students, at the airfield.

The group will then watch the eclipse together, all sporting appropriate eyewear.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden will be traveling to Madison, Wisconsin today to deliver remarks on the economy.

But ahead of the celestial happening, the president’s official X account posted a brief video of him standing on the Truman Balcony in proper eyegear looking to the sky.

‘Wear protective eyewear,’ read the last line of the post.

The video is likely a reference to the infamous picture of former President Donald Trump seemingly looking directly into the sun during the 2017 eclipse while standing on the same balcony.

More than 400,000 people have traveled to Dallas, Texas to get themselves front and center for the solar eclipse – more than 1million eclipse tourists are expected in all of Texas on Monday.

The DM’s Nikki Main in Dallas reported that most of the ‘cosmic tourists’ she interacted with had flown in from California, where the view of the eclipse will be somewhat pitiful.

The solar eclipse will extend across 15 states from Maine to Texas, with Dallas being one of the most popular cities for skygazers to visit as the totality – the amount of time the moon is in front of the sun – will last there for roughly four minutes.

Some 90 percent of the hotels in the area are expected to be at capacity and the University of Texas at Dallas is canceling classes so that students can see the eclipse.

Even those who find themselves outside the path of today’s total eclipse will still most likely be able to see part of the cosmic happening.

According to NASA, 99 percent of the US will be able to see a partial eclipse. That prediction includes all contiguous states and parts of Alaska and Hawaii.

In general, more people will be in the path of totality for this eclipse than were during the last total solar eclipse we saw back in 2017.

This year, some 34million people will be in the path. In 2017, that number was just 12million.

More than 350 couples have signed up to get married during the solar eclipse in Russellville, Arkansas.

Spring love birds will say ‘I do’ just before their area enters totality, which will happen in Russellville at 1.50pm CT.

NASA has called Russellville one of the best places in the country to view the eclipse.

For the professional observers of space – NASA scientists – the eclipse helps them better understand how solar material flows from the sun.

In Virginia, three sounding rockets will launch in succession before, during, and after the eclipse to measure in what ways the sudden disappearance of sunlight impacts Earth’s upper atmosphere – the ionosphere.

Each rocket will eject measurement instruments to record within the path of totality the changes in the ionosphere’s temperature, particle density, and electric and magnetic fields.

NASA is streaming the launch of each rocket live, and if you happen to be at the WAllops Flight Facility Cisitor Center in Virginia, you can watch the launches in person.

Looking directly at the sun, purchasing ‘NASA approved’ eclipse glasses, and driving are the three major things experts warn not to do during and ahead of Monday’s total solar eclipse.

Even brief exposure to the light of the sun can lead to permanent ocular damage because of the photosensitive cells that coat the inner wall of your eye, which are very sensitive to the intense light and heat generated by the sun.

Direct exposure can kill off these cells, which will not regrow naturally in the same way as other cells in the body.

But be careful which eclipse-safe eyewear you decide to trust. NASA does not approve any specific brand of solar viewer, so NASA branding is a surefire sign that your glasses are fakes.

Last month, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) warned that counterfeit solar eclipse glasses were flooding the American market.

Many sellers fraudulently use the branding of bodies like the AAS or NASA to appear legitimate.

However, they may not give you the right level of protection and could lead to severe eye damage if used.

And finally, get off the road. Even for the most vigilant drivers, the total disappearance of the sun is going to be a significant distraction.

As the moon’s shadow sweeps across the Earth, areas will suddenly plunge into darkness and shadows will become strangely distorted.

Increased traffic ahead of Monday’s total solar eclipse could put drivers in danger as researchers warn that fatal colllisions have increased during past eclipses.

In 2017, during the last Great American Eclipse, there was a 31 percent surge in fatal traffic accidents.

The spike in accidents, doctors say, occurred not during the moments of darkness, but during the hours before and after the eclipse when people were traveling to and from their observation destinations.

‘We;re especially concerned about the drive home,’ Dr. Donald Redelmeier of the University of Toronto.

The phenomenon occurs when the moon moves directly in front of the sun – not to be confused with the reverse occurance, which would be a lunar eclipse.

Today, observers will watch as the moon completely blocks out the sun for a few minutes, causing everything to go dark for several minutes.

The highly anticipated solar eclipse will take place across parts of 15 US states on Monday, with it first appearing along Mexico‘s Pacific coast around 11:07am PT.

Roughly 34 million people are expected to be on the path of totality – where the eclipse will be fully visible – that will extend through Texas, and up into New England as the day progresses.

The exact time for the event will vary depending on the state and time zone.

The Lone Star State will be the first to see the moon completely block the face of the sun at around 1:27pm CT and is set to last approximately three minutes and 15 seconds.