Lights out down under: Your photos from Australia's total solar eclipse

This Pac-Man shaped image of the sun was taken by Chad Loel Rademan onboard a cruise ship in the Coral Sea about 550 miles northeast of Brisbane, Australia. "At 41 I was the baby on the ship but it was a great atmosphere, the upper deck was crammed with people and when the sun disappeared the sky looked a bit creepy but beautiful," he said.

This unorthodox approach to eclipse watching was fashioned by Maj Coop from Brisbane, Australia. "The x-ray is of my mum's hand. She's been struggling with arthritis in her hand for a while and this x-ray has just been sitting in her car for a few months," she says. "I thought there shouldn't be any reason why this wouldn't work."

"To see the solar eclipse, I used some welding goggles," says Daniel Christiansen from Australia's Gold Coast. "I think the photo is kinda cool because it's this futuristic horror look ... and the sun's limited lighting is creating a unique darkness."

Sandra Otto took this photo from the side of the road in the northern suburbs of Darwin, Australia, after forgetting about the eclipse until it was about to happen. "I quickly got my camera and my bigger lens and jumped into my utility," she says. " I wish I was better prepared but found it to be a truly amazing experience, spectacular."

"You see the images on the news and in the papers but I think that by the time something has gone to print the impact is lost to a degree, it's different being 'present' for the eclipse. It's [awe-inspiring]," said Samantha J Hughes from Auckland, New Zealand.

"The photograph I uploaded is approximately 17-18 minutes past the peak of the eclipse. The reason I chose that photo is because it shows a few Sun spots, and it's not just a solid block of reddish colour like those I took closer to the peak," says Goran Ristic from Auckland, New Zealand.

This was John Lindsay Stevenson's second eclipse. The 52-year-old postman from the small island of Bribie says: "My father took me to my first eclipse in 1976 when I was 16, but it was totally clouded out and we never saw it. It was a huge disappointment but it was enough to definitely want to experience another."

Dave Thomson snapped this picture of eclipse preparations in Pormpuraaw, rural northern Queensland. When the big moment finally arrived it "was epic," he says.

Katie Mack, a research scientist in astrophysics, was perfectly placed in Melbourne, Australia, to capture at least part of the eclipse in a quirky way: "I realized at some point that the eclipsed sun was the shape of a happy-face mouth, and I thought maybe I could capture that."

Stephanie Wynne of Cairns captured this image of the eclipse at totality from the roof of her home in Cairns, northern Australia. "Unfortunately I didn't have my telescope, so I had to use my phone to take the pictures, but still an alright result," she says.

"I thought it would be cool to take a few photos because I haven't seen an eclipse in my lifetime, says iReporter Samuel Hill who shot this picture in Wellington, New Zealand. "Most people were really excited once they got to look through the solar lenses to see the eclipse."

Alistair Soon snapped this image as the eclipse passed over his home city of Brisbane early Wednesday morning. "It is amazing just with a solar filter, one could see that the moon is just right there in front of the sun," he says.

Staff and students used the campus at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia, to hook up telescopes and camera equipment to capture the eclipse, says Kim Tairi. "We have a center for astrophysics and supercomputing here ... [so we] set up an area on campus [where] people could come past and get a look at the eclipse," she says.

Vanessa Hill of North Ryde, near Sydney, was taking no precautions during this morning's eclipse, adorning her dog with cool protective shades.

Tomoya Arai of Japan took this image of crowds at the Eclipse2012 festival in the north Queensland outback. As the eclipse began Arai, said he was reminded of Albert Einstein's words: "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious."

This was the thirteenth time "professional eclipse chaser" Mike Smith has witnessed a total eclipse. The badges on his hat commemorate each of his previous experiences. "We viewed this one from Green Island, which is 25 kilometers off the coast of Cairns as we were warned it was going to be cloudy on land," he says. "The eclipse was as unique and beautiful as ever."

Not all eclipse chasers adopted high-tech cameras and telescopes. Instagrammer, Rhea Hepburn, fashioned this eclipse viewer using cardboard boxes, paper and a mirror. "I really loved it. It didn't get as dark as I thought it would with the naked eye but the view worked great," she says.

David Freeman of Longreach in outback Queensland sent in this image of photographers prepping for the big moment. "Even if we didn't get totality the light was really interesting," he says. "Coming so close after sunrise we had the typical outback orange and red sunrise and then went into an almost surreal subdued light. Not the same colors as a normal sunrise but definitely not normal daylight either."

Instagrammer Tawnymc had style and concept covered with these chic glasses as she settled in to watch the eclipse from Buchanon Beach near Cairns. "(They) were amazing, we could see the moon move across the sun and we shared them around the beach - they were just $10 too," she says.

Filipino nurse, Almira Tumpap, captured this picture outside the Stardome Planetarium in her adopted home of Auckland, New Zealand. "It was also nice to see both children and adults skygazing outside the Stardome Planetarium waiting for this spectacular display of awesomeness," she says. "It was such a special treat, a beautiful experience. The best things in life really are free."

iReporter David Brungger was one of many people to witness the eclipse at Palm Cove in the north of Queensland. "When everything finally went almost totally dark, some people were clapping, some people were cheering with joy, and we all took our eclipse glasses off to enjoy some of the most exciting and beautiful seconds of my life. Too bad it only lasted roughly one minute," he says.

Airdrie Makim flew to Queensland all the way from Melbourne in order catch the best view of the solar eclipse. "It's been cloudy wet weather so we were really worried we wouldn't get to see it but the clouds cleared just before totality," she says. "It was just magical! We are so happy to have seen it."

Sam George Allen took this photo of her partner James Jang at the Lota Foreshore in Brisbane, Australia. "A few people from the Redlands Astronomical Society were there with equipment, and about fourty others showed up throughout the eclipse -- lots of families -- to look through the telescopes and share around the viewing glasses. It was before school started so there were lots of kids running around, and one of the dads lent us the panda glasses! Pretty cute," said the a 22-year-old writer.

Karl Glazebrook, a Professor of Astronomy, took his family from Melbourne to Palm cove Beach in Queensland for an eclipse-themed holiday. "About 30 min before the totality I was in despair as most of the sky was cloudy. About T-10m it started to break up and a hole appeared and it looked like the sun was moving towards the hole. Two minutes before the eclipse the last cloud left the sun! You can see the cloud in this photo."

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Just like Pac-Man

X-rated

Goggle eyed

Good morning Darwin!

Eclipse totality

'An awe inspiring sight'

Red sun of New Zealand

Glowing second chance

Camera prep

Yay Astronomy!

Roof with a view

The view from Wellington

Through the lens

Study break

Barking mad

In Einstein's shadow

The eclipse chaser

Do it yourself eclipse

The big show

Solar shades

Auckland skygazing

Dark at dawn

Down by the beach

Pandamonium

One last cloud

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(CNN) -- Tens of thousands of tourists, scientists and amateur astronomers gathered Wednesday along Australia's northern tip to witness a rare total solar eclipse.

For just two eerie minutes in the early hours of the morning local time, the country - known for its blistering sunshine - was plunged into a chilly darkness.

Onlookers gathered at vantage points on beaches, in boats and even hot air balloons to catch a glimpse of the celestial light show which, according to NASA, is unlikely to be seen again in the same region for another 360 years.

Submit your solar eclipse photos

Near totality is seen during the solar eclipse at Palm Cove on Wednesday, November 14, in Palm Cove. Thousands of eclipse-watchers gathered in part of North Queensland to enjoy the solar eclipse, the first in Australia in a decade.

Reserved seats overlook the ocean to watch the total solar eclipse on Tuesday in Cairns.

Jonathan Bradshaw and Terry Cuttle set up telescopic cameras and computer equipment on Palm Cove beach in preparation to run a live stream via NASA of the total solar eclipse in Cairns on Tuesday.

Totality is seen during the solar eclipse at Palm Cove on Wednesday.

Spectators line the beach to view the total solar eclipse on Wednesday in Palm Cove.

The partial eclipse is obscured by clouds on Wednesday in Palm Cove.

A spectator views the solar eclipse through special eclipse viewing glasses in Palm Cove on Wednesday.

A spectator views the solar eclipse on Wednesday in Palm Cove.

Photographers prepare their equipment as they wait for the sun to appear from behind clouds during the solar eclipse on Wednesday in Palm Cove.

Near totality is seen during the solar eclipsein Palm Cove on Wednesday.

Totality is seen during the solar eclipse at Vlassof Cay in Palm Cove on Wednesday.

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

Australian solar eclipse

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Photos: Australian solar eclipse

A solar eclipse happens when the moon, as it orbits Earth, passes directly in front of the sun, obscuring its rays and casting a shadow on Earth's surface. Sometimes referred to as a "happy accident of nature," a total solar eclipse occurs when the moon is perfectly aligned with both the sun and Earth, so it appears from our perspective that the sun is completely blocked.

Watch Australian solar eclipse

iReporters were on hand to capture this extraordinary astronomical moment for CNN, sending in images from across the region -- from Australia, New Zealand and even from a cruise ship hundreds of miles off the Australian coast.

Chad Loel Rademan captured stunning images of the eclipse while on a cruise specifically for keen sky watchers.

"The weather almost killed it -- there were heavy clouds at the start and everyone was very somber and nervous," he said.

"The ship manoeuvred toward breaks in the clouds and we got lucky -- it emerged from the breaks in time for the eclipse."

Bright spark or dimwit? Take the solar eclipse quiz

Maj Coop from Brisbane, Australia, sent in an unusual image of the eclipse -- as seen through an X-ray of her mother's hand.

"The neighbors probably thought I was a bit strange holding up this X-ray for a while, but after I while I realized it actually looked quite interesting - like my mother was reaching out to hold the sun in her hand," she said.

The eclipse was not entirely confined to Australia -- in Wellington, New Zealand, iReporter Sam Hill decided that, even though they would not see the eclipse in all its glory, it was still worth capturing.

"I thought it would be cool to take a few photos because I haven't seen an eclipse in my lifetime," he said.

Read: The science behind a solar eclipse

Hundreds of onlookers used popular photo-sharing app Instagram to lend a cinematic, retro feel to their sun shots. Many included the #CNNCelebrates hashtag and sent in their best snaps to iReport.

Dave Thompson sent in his image of the eclipse in Pormpuraaw, rural northern Queensland, Australia, via Instagram.

He summed up the mood when the big moment finally arrived in one simple word: "epic".