ST. LOUIS (KTRS) People from around the world converged on Missouri and Illinois Monday to watch the first total solar eclipse over the continental U.S. in a century. Among the crowd that gathered Monday at the Missouri Capitol were husband and wife David Colon and Mariana Perez from Costa Rica. They flew to Oklahoma, where his mother lives, and then drove as a family to Jefferson City. They said the sight of the moon blocking the sun was an amazing experience – well worth the long trip.

Thousands gathered in Washington, MO, for the Total Solar Eclipse Festival. Hannah Huryk and her husband John traveled all the way from Wausau, WI, to view this much-anticipated celestial event.

In Illinois, about 14,000 people filled Southern Illinois University’s Saluki Stadium in Carbondale to watch Monday’s total solar eclipse. Monday’s total solar eclipse drew visitors to southern Illinois, where the Shawnee National Forest saw the longest stretch of darkness: 2 minutes and 44 seconds. One visitor was 44-year-old Patrick Schueck of Arkansas and his 10-year-old twin daughters who went to the Bald Knob Cross of Peace in Alto Pass. He called the eclipse “one of the most moving experiences” he’s ever had.

Researchers in Illinois used toMonday’s solar eclipse to learn how sudden atmospheric changes can alter the weather. Researchers used weather-monitoring equipment to collect temperature and other data before, during and after the eclipse.