Crowds came together across the region and the rest of the world to watch the stunning solar eclipse.
Excited stargazers gathered in gardens and parks across the region to watch as the moon passed in front of the sun shortly after 6pm on August 12.
The spectacle reached its peak at around 7.07pm in Durham, when about 90 per cent of the sun was obscured by the moon. It was the deepest partial solar eclipse visible in the UK since 1999.
Armed with specialist solar eclipse glasses, cameras and telescopes fitted with solar filters, onlookers looked to the skies to witness the striking crescent shaped Sun.
Watching the eclipse
(Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)
Although cloud affected views in some places, many people across the region were able to catch a clear glimpse of the celestial event and have shared their photographs with us.
While the eclipse was partial in the UK, people in parts of Spain, Iceland and northern Portugal experienced a total eclipse.
Space expert Dhara Patel, from the National Space Centre, said the occasion could be an emotional one for those watching.
Speaking previously to the Press Association, she said: “For a lot of people, it can be a little bit of an emotional event.
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Photo of the eclipse
(Image: Steve Dobson)
Photo of the eclipse, Darlington
(Image: Jen Harrison)
Photo of the eclipse
(Image: Sue Crane, Darlington)
Photo of the eclipse, Middleton St George
(Image: David Edwards)
Photo of the eclipse, Durham
(Image: Andrea Murphy)
Photo of the eclipse, Darlington
(Image: Jon Nodding)
Photo of the eclipse, Durham
(Image: Jane Draper)
Photo of the eclipse
(Image: Tony Johnson)
Photo of the eclipse, Darlington
(Image: DARLINGTON MARKET)
Photo of the eclipse, Bishop Auckland
(Image: Monic Poole)
Photo of the eclipse, Northallerton
(Image: Dan Loveday)
Photos of the eclipse, Roseberry Topping
(Image: Simon McCabe)
Photos of the eclipse
(Image: Lisa Chambers)
“I’ve seen previously people being drawn to tears or just have a really good moment within themselves where they realise they’re seeing or witnessing something… you’ve never seen before in your life.”
Take a look through the gallery below to see how our readers captured the remarkable eclipse across County Durham and the North East.
Can you spot any of your pictures?