Why is a Total Solar Eclipse Such a Big Deal?

 

On August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will pass over the continental U.S. for the first time in 28 years. During the eclipse, the moon will completely cover the face of the sun. Inside the moon's shadow, daylight will become twilight and the temperature will drop quickly. Jets of gas in the sun's outer atmosphere will become visible, and in every direction, the horizon will have the hue of a sunset. The moon's 70-mile wide shadow will cross the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. Massive crowds are expected to gather in cities that will fall inside this shadow. About 45,000 people are expected to attend an eclipse viewing event in the town of Carbondale, IL, population 26,000. The last total solar eclipse visible in the continental U.S. took place in 1979, and was only visible in the northwest corner of the country. Total solar eclipses happen somewhere on Earth about every 18 months. But it is rare for one of these cosmic events to be easily visible to such a huge portion of the U.S. population. Don't miss your chance to see a total solar eclipse on American soil.