After beholding the midday darkness of a total solar eclipse that raced across the continent, thousands of spectators in New England were stuck seeing only brake lights Monday night as highway traffic backed up for hours.

Crowds of motorists leaving remote northern New Hampshire in the late afternoon clogged local roads leading to Interstate 93, which they found also thronged by cars inching southward. By midnight, some drivers had traveled only 50 miles (80 km) in nine hours.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation urged patience and said there were about 22,000 more vehicles visiting the tiny state compared to the same time last year. Heavy traffic was also reported in Vermont and Massachusetts.

Whether you saw the moon completely block the sun, were foiled by cloudy weather or weren't along the path of Monday's total solar eclipse, there are still more chances to catch a glimpse.

Here's what to know about upcoming solar spectacles:

When is the next total solar eclipse?

Total solar eclipses happen about every year or two or three, due to a precise alignment of the sun, moon and Earth.

The day died and was reborn a few minutes later Monday in the southern United States. There were hugs, tears and gasping as people watched the moon fully eclipse the sun and briefly plunge the world into darkness.

About 2,000 people flocked to Ingram in the southern US state of Texas, a small city in the "path of totality" where the solar eclipse could be observed in its entirety.

Spread on mattresses on the grass, sipping wine comfortably from folding chairs or peering into large telescopes, the viewers, their eyes covered by special protective glasses, celebrated each time the gray clouds parted, letting them enjoy the wonder.

"Three, two, one!" a man shouted.

And there was the moon, a black orb completely covering the sun, with only tiny slivers of light escaping from the edges.