Millions of people across North America were plunged into cold midday darkness on Monday as a total solar eclipse swept across the continent for the first time in seven years, treating crowds to a phenomenon they won't see in Canada for decades. .

Parts of southern Ontario, Quebec and the Oceania region were briefly plunged into darkness for a few hours in the afternoon as the moon passed between the sun and Earth for a few hours in the afternoon. The sky dimmed, the birds fell silent, the street lights came on, and the Sun's corona—the reddish-white ring at its outer edge—became visible to the human eye.

"It's unbelievable," said CBC's Chris Ensing, who was standing by Lake Erie in Kingsville, Ont., at full time. That diamond ring is… wonderful. What a moment!"

Clouds threatened visibility of the sun in many areas along the path of totality, but the thin layer of clouds didn't seem to have much of an effect as the moon cast its shadow over parts of Canada. Some of the crowd, like Kingsville, clapped at the sight, while others fell silent.

The Niagara Falls crowd cheered when Norma Royce, 58, exclaimed that her birthday was a moment of total darkness.

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