Activists on social media circulated the first pictures of the total solar eclipse in the United States of America.

The actual eclipse began a short while ago in a number of American states and in Canadian and Mexican cities.

The eclipse will be visible, weather permitting, along a path that begins in Mexico and then crosses the United States into Canada.

Eclipse viewing enthusiasts gathered in places along the "total eclipse path," including the city of Fredericksburg in central Texas, where the total eclipse will occur shortly after 1:30 p.m. (1830 GMT).

It is noteworthy that, with a duration of up to four minutes and 28 seconds, the expected eclipse will be longer than the total eclipse that occurred across parts of the United States in 2017, which lasted about two minutes and 42 seconds.