The moon passed in front of the sun on Thursday, causing a partial solar eclipse visible across North America.

For Stargazers lucky enough to experience clear weather during the eclipse, the sun appeared to take on a crescent shape, as the moon partially obstructed it from our view. This is2014's first partial solar eclipse. A full solar eclipse took place in April.

Although staring directly at a partial solar eclipse can cause permanent eye damage, photographers risked their vision to capture awe-inspiring images of the sun for those unable to see the event live. Check out a few of our favorites, below:

IMAGE: FLICKR
IMAGE: FLICKR,
IMAGE: FLICKR,
IMAGE: FLICKR,
IMAGE: FLICKR,
IMAGE: FLICKR,
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IMAGE: