Less than one week from today, on 21 August, a very rare and unique celestial event will occur - a total solar eclipse - will cross the United States.
It has been dubbed by many as the National Eclipse or the Great American Eclipse because of the path it will take across the 48 Continental United States.
While total solar eclipses are rare events, this one is even rarer because it will cross North America and be highlighted by an approximate 61 mile wide path of totality from one side of the country to the other. It begins in the West off the coast of Oregon coast just after 9:00 AM (PDT) and will come to an end off the coast of South Carolina in the Eastern part of the United States at just after 4:00 PM (EDT).
The entire event will take around four hours and will likely provide a spectacular show for millions of people along the path of totality and many millions more anywhere in the United States who will get to experience at least a partial eclipse depending on their distance from the center line of totality.
While it may be too late to plan a trip to experience totality, there are plenty of resources available that will help you maximize your experience even if you are not in the United States and able to see any aspect of the eclipse.
For those of you that will experience the eclipse with your own eyes there are also great opportunities to contribute to the scientific observation of this rare event.
However you plan to experience the eclipse, just be sure to stay safe out there and protect your eyes and use proper viewing equipment/methods.
Note: Some of these sites are offering eclipse souvenirs and other items for sale however, we are not endorsing or certifying these products by mentioning the sites here. Our goal is to provide you information related to the eclipse without any relationship to their retail products/offers.
