On August 21, 2017 the sun will disappear for a short time. For a swath of the country from Portland, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina, it will feel like someone just turned off the sun in the middle of the day.

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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri state workers in Jefferson City are getting an extra holiday this year _ Aug. 21, the day of the solar eclipse.

State officials said Friday that with up to 50,000 visitors expected in Jefferson City to see the eclipse from one of the best viewing spots in the nation, state workers in non-essential jobs in the capital city will get the day off.

State workers elsewhere in Missouri will have to report to work.

The eclipse will be visible in 14 states diagonally from Oregon to South Carolina, and parts of Missouri offer some of the longest periods of total darkness. A large festival is planned for the Capitol grounds in Jefferson City.

It will be the first solar eclipse visible coast to coast since 1918.