From Texas to Maine, millions of Americans gazed at the sky as the moon crawled across the face of the sun Monday afternoon. Views of the total eclipse were as breathtaking as they are rare − the next total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States won't be until 2044.

Members of the USA TODAY Opinion team from Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas share what they saw, thought and felt as the paths of the Earth, sun and moon converged for a few wondrous moments:

The modern sentiment is to scoff at our primitive ancestors who quaked in wonder and awe and more than a modicum of fear at the natural phenomena of our world and the universe. Science, we say with a smirk.

But I wonder if those who came before understood more than we give them credit for when confronted with an event so awe-inspiring as the solar eclipse – “magnificent,” “5 stars,” “totally awesome!” – that crawled over North America on Monday.

What's so special about the eclipse?You have to see it to believe it.

To me, the eclipse was yet another reminder of my small role in the grand theater of life. And a reminder of how much time and energy, fear and frustration I waste on the temporary and the trivial.

As twilight descended and Jupiter and Venus emerged in the afternoon sky over Indianapolis, this old man who has made his living with words was left without enough of them to adequately describe what I saw and felt.

And, at the risk of being morbid, I wondered as shadows faded and light again overcame darkness whether I would still be on the Earth to witness the........

© USA TODAY