Totality occurred on Aug. 21, 2017, when the first total solar eclipse in the United States in 38 years swathed the country from Oregon to South Carolina. It was reported on by a media hungry for distractions. The event was rare and cosmic: Eyewitnesses described waves of light that mirrored the shape of the sun’s corona. Crowds of people witnessed the phenomenon together, and, where totality was clearly visible, many were deeply moved by the sudden darkness of the sun.