(NEXSTAR) – Texas was the first U.S. state to fall into darkness Monday as a total solar eclipse made its way across the country. Nexstar’s chief meteorologist Brian James was there waiting in the path of totality when it happened – and he was happy to be there.
The moment was captured live as part of Nexstar’s border-to-border coverage, tracking the path of the eclipse throughout the day. Though the view was different in every city, one thing was the same. At every viewing location across the country, you could hear cheers, applause and awestruck reactions from the crowd.
Brian James was no exception. “You can feel it getting darker,” he said as totality neared Dallas. “This is such an incredible experience.”
Then, the sky went dark for 3 minutes and 51 seconds. “Oh my goodness! Holy… this is incredible,” James can be heard saying. “It looks like 45 minutes after sunset. … It’s the middle of the day, and I’m counting stars outside.”
The eclipse also made it possible to see flares coming off the sun.
“For those of you in totality a little farther upstream, get ready. It’s an awesome experience. This is so cool,” James said.
“This is definitely one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments that will probably serve as a core memory,” he said, in a reference to the Disney/Pixar movie “Inside Out.”
Watch his full reaction in the video above.
It’s hard to believe from his reaction, but the eclipse wasn’t even the most exciting thing to happen to James on Monday. He told viewers that he and his fiancée were common law married Monday morning before he headed to work to report on the eclipse.