Any tips for first-time viewers?

If you're keen to capture some good photos, you need to be prepared. Eclipse Chasers, a website devoted to solar eclipses, has several pointers for photographers. Among them:

-- Leave your flash attachment at home -- Don't forget to remove your filter during totality -- Use a telescope or telephoto lens with a focal length of 400 millimetres or more -- Opt for manually focusing over auto focus -- Keep your setup as portable, light and easy to assemble as possible in case you need to relocate in a hurry to escape clouds.

Veteran eclipse watchers all had the same advice for first-timers: don't waste time fiddling with cameras and telescopes that you miss soaking up that fleeting moment of complete darkness.