wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... woman: a law partner rediscovers her grandmother's artistry and creates a trust to keep the craft alive.

a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your passions and the way you enrich your community. life well planned. brook: these are people who are trying to change the world. start-ups have this energy that energizes me. i'm thriving by helping others every day. people who know, know bdo. man: cunard is a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage with cunard, the world awaits. a world of flavor. diverse destinations. and immersive experiences. a world of leisure... and british style. all with cunard's "white-star" service. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation,

pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc ns" these glasses to hand or colander or projector or whatever you need, remember you can watch it here on bbc news and a warm welcome come of course, to our viewers tuning in here in america on pbs as well. and also don't forget to go to our live page on bbc news. we have a team of correspondents send out across the country-- fanned out across the country keeping you up-to-date with what they are seeing and experiencing and feeling, and you will be able to see some of their blog posts as well as watch the path of the men going right across the s-- of the moon going right across the sun. we can bring and once again our science editor pallet gauche --pallab ghosh, who is having

one of the biggest days of the for any kind of science correspondent. we are starting to get such a totality in ohio. it is getting pretty cold, people are starting to gather. i can feel the anticipation building even further. just in terms of what would be considered a truly great eclipse, this surely has to go down as one ofhem. 99% of people in america experiencing it either partially or totally. that is huge. pallab: it is one of the most memorable eclipses of all time, partly because the sun is so intense you can see the atmosphere so prominently, and also because so many people will be able to see it. you don't get that combination of things that often. it is a really big event. for as much the impact it has on people as well as the science and the beauty of it all.

christian: pallab-- >> pallab, something i always find astonishing is how long we have been able to predict eclipses for, going back a couple hundred of years in ohio. last one was in 1806. there were eclipse chases then. it is an exact and difficult science, one would imagine. pallab: it goes like clockwork -- you can work out where the next eclipse is, the one after that. you can book your hotel rooms already if you are interested in doing that. you can decide whether you want to chase eclipses or experience the ones that occur naturally. it is as a reminder of just how incredible the cosmos is. there are so many people that after today, whether they are experiencing totality in north america or watching it on tv,

they will become inspired by what they see and want to find out more, and it is no greater advertisement for science than watching something so incredible and beautiful as this. >> absolutely. talking about getting the public on board, we know there is a citizen science projects as well, aren't there. people can give insights what happened to their pets during totality, and it is starting to get significant darker here as i speak. for the animal kingdom, this is really confusing for them. pallab: it is confusing for them and it is confusing for people as well. there will probably be a hush if there are any animals around you. they are wondering what is happening, because nightfall isn't for some time yet. but also there will be a hush before the whoops start among the whoops once you get the

beads that will start shing just as the last few rays of sun pass through the moon, and then that spectacular diamond ring effect, would you can really look forward to, when the last chink of light just seems brighter than ever thing else. then come of course, the showstopper, the atmosphere, it will stretch out past the moon, which will hang in the sky like a shimmering black pearl in the sky. it'll be a moment of great awe and celebration, which will bring people together and there will be huge cheering among people, but among the animals, i suspect, they will be very, very confused. >> at the end of the day we are all just animals and we are all going to be bowled over by this event. we are just 10 minutes away from totality here in ohio. you are mentioning that moment of the diamond ray and then the

chromosphere or we hopefully see more flares of the earth's atmosphere. that is not always a given, is it, is it come in eclipses. that goes to underscore how special this particular eclipse is. pallab: the red things that you can see but this eclipse is happening because the sun is particularly active. there are gigantic nuclear explosions that are happening all the time on the sun. you will see them as little peaks coming out the edge. they might seem quite small compared to the size of the sun. they are absolutely enormous. sun can be the size of the entire earth. -- some can be the size of the entire earth. this is only something you will see for a few moments as the clips is getting to you. -- as the eclipse is getting to you.

the last 10 minutes is the most fun because you will notice the gradual darkening, but that darkening will all of a sudden in the next few minutes start speeding up, and before you know it you will see the beads, you will see the diamond ring effect, there will be cheers all around you. and then the coronas fear will reveal it -- chromosphere will reveal itself in all its majesty. that is if it is not cloudy where you are. but even in parts of the country where it is cloudy, it is still an incredible effect, because in some ways the awesome nature of what you see can take your mind away from the other things that are going on the drop in temperature, the wind that pops up, the shadows that pass along very quickly. it is the whole package that makes it so special and so wonderful. >> absolutely. talking about this great solar eclipse, there are many different types of eclipses. people might think they have seen one fairly recently. there are lunar eclipses as well

that are different, there are eclipses over the water that occur fairly regularly. this one in particular is in a league of its own in terms of how many people can see it, how rare it is. >> welcome it is in a league of its own because it is a total solar eclipse. one of my favorite eclipses apart from the total eclipse is the annular eclipse, where the moon is a bit further away from the earth than normal, and so you get a band of light around it. it looks like a golden ring in the sky. you can only see it using eclipse glasses. that is a very special moment. even partial eclipses you need eclipse glasses. that bite that is taken out of the sun, the chinese used to think that it was because the dragon was eating up the sun and that cause huge fear until the sun reappeared as if by magic.

its something that our ancestors found fearful, found worrying, and found no doubt as yful as we are finding it now. >> absolutely. you can only imagine the confusion for everybody in years past working the land, suddenly finding it had become night right in the middle of the day, wondering what on earth had happened. we know that historically people have used this as a kind of oratory device to shore up power, for example, to tell a population to predict a solar clips and assert their authority. it must be incredibly confusing. i'm getting work right now just to update people, five minutes here in ohio. we can cross over to nada tawfik. what is the latest where you are? nada:: well, helena, here at

niagara falls you can see behind me just how heavy the cloud cover is at the moment. you can see it is getting noticeably darker. the temperature has dropped quite a bit. but mother nature has really been teasing us here. there was a brief moment in the break of the clouds, and through that, during this moment of partial eclipse, the sun was viewable as a crescent in the sky. the crowd absolutely went wild. that one moment to see just how thrilling that was for people who have gathered here was quite exciting. people are a little bit cautiously optimistic about the moment of totality and weather will be able to see that brilliant bright corona of the sun. we will have to wait and see what happens with the clouds. many people here came thinking they might see a pink rainbow

over niagara falls. as i say, everyone i speak to hear in the foreground -- you can see the crowds gather here on the u.s. side and over in the far ground in the canadian side, nobody here is disappointed at all. they say despite what happens at the moment of totality, this is an experience, a once-in-a-lifetime experience foso many, here with the falls, the splendor of it in the background. and just being able to feel, again, the other parts of this eclipse, how it affects the enviroent. seagulls are flying now. we will see what happens at the moment of totality could excitement all around, helena. helena: i can imagine, niagara falls no matter what happens, what an incredibly amazing place to experience it all. a lot of people i been speaking to have come from far and wide. nomia was speaking to people who

had come from germany for this. is that the sense you are getting as well, so many people descending on the united states for this very event? nada: yeah, absolutely. we met a couple on the plane here that were from manchester and were going to be viewing this from the canadian side and making a whole vacation out of this. everyone else i've spoken to in the crowds have been states as far as maryland, massachusetts, driving up to eight hours just to be here. helena, i came across a couple yesterday that planned this trip since december. they had a two-month-old son. people told me they were crazy for trying to do this but they understood this was a rare moment where the eclipse would be in a totality across such a large swath of the country. but they ultimately decided that with the weather forecast, they were going to pick up and go further east, a three-hour drive. some people have been having to

make difficult decisions. for the most part those that are here said they grab their families, kids who took off from college, younger children, gathering them altogether to be in this moment. it is quite a humbling experience to be here and to knowhat there is a world out there far larger than us and we are just a small piece of that. and it is also a learning experience for so many. i came across an amateur astronomer who saw that nasa advertised for people to join them who own telescopes so they could help with the live broadcast. she is here. she is hoping she will be able to stream her images from here to the world. again, let's see what happens with the cloud cover. fingers crossed in niagara falls. helena: i'm keeping everything crossed for you, nada. here in ohio i have just got word we are very much on the

countdown, 30 seconds out right now. there are some fireworks going off right now. you can start to hear some cheers. it's feeling very cold, it is getting very gray. i don't know if you can see that on the screen as i'm talking, but suddenly it is starting to look more like new year's eve as opposed to the middle of the day in ohio. i'm going to take, a look around because you can hear the cheers here. everybody -- [cheers] just taking that moment in. it is incredible. i have just got -- yeah, i can see it, i can see that corona. the stars have come out. it is a huge halo all the way around that total solar eclipse

in ohio. >> how cool is this? helena: as you can perhaps see behind me, it looks almost like the most perfect sunset you could imagine on lake erie in ohio, despite the fact that, yes, this is the middle of the day, but this is totality. families are gathered, friends, a lot of excitement here, cheers ringing out, fireworks over lake erie. it feels more like the fourth of july, that sense of festivity, public holiday it almost feels like in the united states. it is a truly exciting moment,

and a full corona around an incredible vision. hard to take youeyes off it. i can't even see some stars lighting -- i can even see some stars lighting up. the colors are just phenomenal, as you can see. almost like a duy sunset. so many families have been coming out, having picnics. it's been a festival atmosphere. over the past hour we could gradually file getting gray -- feel it getting grayer, dusky or, colder, and that moment of totality, and it appears to be fairly long-lasting as well, hoping to see over four minutes potentially one of the longest

lasting eclipses in modern history. keep in mind ohio hasn't seen any clips since -- an eclipse since 180t6, full eclipse, and this particular part of the world won't see another one for 400 years. everyone is standing behind me, myself as well, we are incredibly fortunate to be witnessing this moment of history. just to tell you how dark it is, i'm looking directly at the camera right now. can't quite see the lens. it does feel fully like it is nightfall here right now. everybody just taking in the moment. there were cheers. it's almost gone quite quiet now. nomia was describing a moment of awe, and that is what you are feeling, this moment of awesomeness, of being connected to something far bigger than just ourselves. really an amazing moment, and you can see the flares as well

around the corona. i have seen one solar eclipse, i've been lucky enough before. and it is truly a breathtaking moment. and perhaps they're on your screen you can see those flares. and it is starting to reappear. people are putting back on their glasses. we saw what was described as the chromosphere, those red areas around the sun which we are getting because the sun, as pallab was explaining, is that one of its high point of activity, and it is starting to get a little brighter here now. totality over once again, people putting on their glasses. but truly a magical moment here

in ohio. just to paint a picture of my team on the ground, my camera operator, he is from ohio, he is nodding very happily because this is a fantastic moment. i think just a sense of something really awesome having happened here and something that is happening right across the united states and won't happen again for a very long time. all right, we can go back over to niagara falls. the countdown is on there. nada tawfik can bring us up-to-date with how the atmosphere is feeling right now. all right can we don't appear to have nada at this particular moment. just to bring you up-to-date with what we are watching, we are here in ohio. this is lake erie.

we have just gone through totality, over four minutes of what was an incredible four minutes. we went from day to night. it was very cold. there were cheers, deborah fireworks over lake erie, which you can hear behind me. almost a beautiful sunset out on the water. it could not have been any more beautiful. we saw the full corona, and also what we were hoping for, the flares of the chromosphere as well, those red areas from the high activity of the sun and an area where we have not seen a full solar eclipse since 1 806, over 200 years. we won't see another one for over 400 years. we started the day in mexico, where there was totality. then going on to texas, which has gone through totality. here in ohio, coming out the other side, perhaps you notice the light changing as i speak. and then we will go on to niagara falls, up to the border

there with canada as well. a very rare event in terms of a contiguous solar eclipse going across all of the states. people are really lucky this time around in america. there was the great solar clips of 2017. but now we have got some 44 million people in this country who are in the path of totality, 99% of americans able to see the eclipse in some way or another. whether that is partial or total solar eclipse, just in those few minutes that i have been speaking it is fully day again. we can listen to the countdown, as my colleague nada tawfik there at niagara falls or woods there. nada: absolutely crazy above us. there are dozens of seagulls flying above us of the moment,

and the atmosphere, it is completely dark at the moment. the temperature has dropped right down. it is still a beautiful seem to behold here with niagara falls in the backdrop. even though the people here are missing out slightly being able to see that bright corona, you can hear the cheers. there it is. it is peeking through the clouds. mother nature is teasing us! there it is! wow, that is spectacular! oh, wow, that is fabulous! here we go, you can see it fully now. mother nature is truly teasing us today. earlier it peeked through. it has peach through again. there you go. all the people who have gathered here, they weren't sure changed at all. getting to experience totality here, and that absolutely bright corona. and there it goes behind the clouds once again. it is something of a thrilling

experience, i have to say, to see it go in and out of the clouds that way. [laughter] oh, such a fun experience. oh, beautiful colors. i mean, the greens in the water of niagara falls. it is getting a bit brighter now. you have the peaks of the blues guy. seeing the dozens of seagulls going absolutely crazy in the moment was something to behold. everyone just has the biggest smiles on their face, their phones out taking in the moment. that was quite, quite something. i've seen a total solar eclipse before back in 2017, at a farm in kentucky, actually. this is quite different being in this tourist destination, but because it is a natural wonder, saying this alongside natural wonders of niagara falls, you can hear everybody so, so happy.

there was a lot of fear they weren't going to catch the moment of totality, so just absolute relief that they caught that. i've lost them. helena: incredible just to hear that reaction from nada during totality there in niagara falls, just to wonder at the awesomeness of it all we just experienced in ohio as well. well over four minutes of totality on lake erie, whenever fireworks over the lake behind me -- where there were fireworks over the lake behind me, cheers and the air, and that moment of quiet. people were quite awestruck as we approached full totality. it is starting to get a little bit warmer. it did feel much colder. what we are being treated to,

the rarity of this kind of solar eclipse we are experiencing here , is the fact that we are starting to see -- we did see flares, for example, around, and so many people watching it. we have got people who can tell us a little bit about what we experienced here. great to meet you, what is your name? >> my name is mckenzie. helena: what did you make of what we experienced? >> it was incredible. i haven't seen anything like it? helena: are you locally here? >> i am, born and raised in even like. this is special for our city and community. it was lovely to see the turnout and everyone come out and when is this altogether. helena: and what did it make you feel? you said you would never seen anything like it. describe it to me. >> after this it would be hard to not believe in a higher power. i'm a strong believer in jesus christ, and i -- he is so good. it's incredible what he can do. helena: so it was an emotional

experience for you. a sense of community as well? >> yeah, totally. helena: do you think you will be compelled to see another eclipse in the future if we are so lucky? >> i think so. i would love to travel if it is somewhere else where we could see the full totality. i would love to. helena: thank you so much for sharing this experience with us. it was great to talk to you. thk you so much. mckenzie offering a snapshot of what so many people have been experiencing, something that transcends science, goes into the realms of the emotional, the spiritual. so many people combine together to share in that experience, which is uniting the united states. 99% of the publishing will be able to get a glimpse of it in some form or another 99% -- 99% of the population will be able to get a good exhibit in some form or another. it will be 20 years before we

see another such eclipse in the united states. you are watching bbc news. you can always go to our live announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... woman: a law partner rediscovers her grandmother's artistry and creates a trust to keep the craft alive.