Solar Eclipse of August 21st, 2017 – All you need to know about it.

First of all, what is a solar eclipse? According to timeanddate.com

“An eclipse of the Sun happens when the New Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, blocking out the Sun’s rays and casting a shadow on parts of Earth.” The solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017 is said to be the 22nd of 72 members of Saros Series 145. This is going to be first solar eclipse visible to the USA since July 11th, 1991. The solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017, Will be the first eclipse to cross America from coast to coast since 1918, making it the first in 99 years!

When will the solar eclipse be? It will occur on Monday, August 21st, 2017 of course! The path of the eclipse will start on the West Coast and end on the East Coast. It will only take approximately 90 minutes to cross the country. However, the eclipse actually only shadows a single location for about 2 and a half minutes.

Where will it occur? According to https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/best-places-to-view/, the best places to spot the solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017 from the West Coast to the East Coast are:

– Madras Oregon

– Snake River Valley, Idaho

– Casper, Wyoming

– Sandhills of Western Nebraska

– St Joseph, Missouri

– Carbondale, Illinois

– Hopkinsville, Kentucky

– Nashville, Tennessee

– Great Smoky Mountains National Park

– Columbia South Carolina

How should I prepare for it? There are two things you need to consider when you prepare for the solar eclipse. You need to be quick and ready to be in it’s path when it happens. The other factor to consider is the safety of watching the eclipse. You will suffer major damage, if not total blindness, by looking directly at the sun. The only safe way to look at a solar eclipse with the naked eye is if the face of the sun is totally obscured by the moon. The people who will be in the path of totality will be less likely to suffer eye damage because range is 70 miles wide. However, if you want to be completely safe and without risk, you must try to obtain the right equipment. You need to have sunscreen and a hat (since you’ll be outside all day in the sun!), extra batteries for your equipment, eclipse viewing glasses, and a blanket to sit on if necessary. Don’t make your own solar viewing glasses! That is very large risk to take because they may not help! If you’d like more information about how to view the eclipse safely, take a look at this link, http://www.eclipse2017.org/instructions/instructions.htm.

Are you ready to watch the Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017? For more interesting facts that occurred on August 21st in history follow the link and like our FaceBook Page!