Members of the public pay their final respects at the John F Kennedy library
Thousands of people have gathered for a second day in Boston to bid farewell to Edward Kennedy as his body lies in the John F Kennedy Presidential Library.
Many people lined up before the doors opened to view the flag-draped coffin of the long-serving US senator, who died on Tuesday of brain cancer.
President Barack Obama is to deliver a eulogy at his funeral Mass on Saturday.
He will be buried on Saturday at the Arlington National Cemetery near his brothers ex-president John and Robert.
Three days of ceremonies to commemorate Mr Kennedy began on Thursday with a private family Mass at the family property in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
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His body was then driven in a long procession to Boston along roads lined with thousands of mourners - some waving American flags, others holding up signs that read "Thank you Teddy".
The library was kept open until 0200 (0600 GMT) to allow more than 20,000 people to file past the coffin, placed before a large window overlooking Boston harbour.
Senator Kennedy's widow Vicki and other members of the family shook hands with the mourners.
"We just wanted to pay our respects and say thanks for all he has done," Trisha McLaughlin said.
'Extraordinary good'
After the public have paid their respects in Boston, there will be an invitation-only memorial service at the JFK library on Friday evening.
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President Barack Obama is expected to address a funeral Mass for Mr Kennedy at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston on Saturday, before his burial that evening.
Mr Kennedy's death on Tuesday prompted a flood of tributes from across the US and around the world.
In the US, Mr Kennedy's death has been seen as the end of an era.
The charismatic senator had long been the leader of one of America's great political dynasties, following the assassinations of his brothers in 1963 and 1968.
In a televised tribute on Wednesday, Mr Obama said Mr Kennedy had achieved "extraordinary good" and was "one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy".
But others have noted that his legacy of public service was counter-balanced by heavy drinking in his early years - and the death of a female companion, Mary Jo Kopechne, in 1969 when he drove off a bridge at Chappaquiddick in Massachusetts and fled the scene.
Wonkette: GEORGE BUSH SR. SIMPLY WILL NOT ATTEND THIS FUNERAL: George H.W. Bush, an evil oil baron and son to a Nazi financier, will not make it to Ted Kennedy’s funeral in Boston Saturday, even though every other living president will be there. A spokesperson says that the old coot “feels his son’s presence would ‘amply and well represent’ the family Saturday.” COLD. [AP/Raw Story]
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