For the first time in American history, the total solar eclipse will cross the U.S. from coast to coast, beginning in Oregon and ending in South Carolina.
DON’T Look at the SUN without proper protection.
When:
- 9am – 10:45am – Monday Morning (PST)
Click Below to see Where to View it:
Here are some facts on this eclipse, and what makes it so unique:
This is the first eclipse to pass over the United States in the 21st century.
It is the first total eclipse on American soil since 1991, when one was visible from the Big Island of Hawaii.
But it has been 38 years since the mainland United States glimpsed a total eclipse. The last one was in 1979.
Having a total solar eclipse move across entire the United States is quite rare. The last time it happened was in 1918.
Because the Moon was near its farthest point from Earth at that time in its orbit, it blocked about 94 percent of the Sun‘s light.
Solar eclipses occur when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, blocking light from the Sun.
Total solar eclipses happen because the Sun’s diameter is 400 times wider than the Moon’s, but it is also 400 times farther away.
From Earth’s perspective, this geometry makes the Sun and Moon appear to be the same size.
Lincoln Beach, Oregon, will be the first location in the continental US to see the eclipse, beginning at 9:05 am
“Totality” — the term for when the Moon completely blocks out light from the Sun — begins near Lincoln Beach, Oregon, at 10:16 am Pacific time
The path of totality spans about 70 miles (113 kilometers) and will pass through 14 states.
“Its longest duration will be near Carbondale, Illinois, where the Sun will be completely covered for two minutes and 40 seconds,” says the US space agency.
The entire eclipse will take a total of four hours, four minutes to make its way across the nation.
About 12 million people live in the path of totality, according to the American Astronomical Society.