The last time a total solar eclipse was experienced in this region of the United States was in 1478. The Adventure Science Center's Sudekum Planterium premiers its original production on the celestial phenomenon this week. Credit: Sudekum PlanetariumAdventure Science Center

Nashville’s science museum is already preparing for an event at 1:27 pm on August 21st. That’s when the city will be in the path of the “Great American Eclipse,” when the moon passes between the Earth and sun.



The last time something like this occurred in the region was more than 500 years ago.

“If you are somewhere like Nashville that experiences that totality, we’ve got almost two minutes where we can take off those eclipse glasses, we can look up, and we can see the atmosphere of the sun with our naked eyes, which is really exciting,” says Derrick Rohl, manager of the Sudekum Planetarium at the Adventure Science Center.

The planetarium is premiering a short film entitled “ECLIPSE: The Sun Revealed” on January 20th, which explains the history and significance of the eclipse.

Nashville is the largest U.S. city that lies in the path, though some

smaller towns like Hopkinsville, Kentucky, will get an even more direction view. Tourists and global skywatchers are expected to pour in that weekend for the 1-minute 57-second spectacle.