As thousands in United States get ready to view the August 21 solar eclipse through their special glasses, NASA will be using 11 different spacecrafts to study the sun's outer atmosphere during the duration of the eclipse.

"The moon is blocking out the main bright disk of the sun. So you can actually see what those levels of solar atmosphere are doing. It's called the corona. It's spectacular. And actually the way corona works is still fairly mysterious," NASA scientist Dr. Michelle Thaller said. NASA will also fly high-altitude research balloons and airplanes for solar physics and other experiments.

During the eclipse, the moon will pass between the sun and Earth, blocking the face of the sun and leaving only its outer atmosphere, or corona, visible in the sky. It is the first coast-to-coast total eclipse since 1918. Total solar eclipses occur somewhere on Earth every year or so, but most cast their shadow over oceans or remote land. The last total eclipse over part of the contiguous US was in 1979.

The space organization warns people of protecting their eyes while viewing the eclipse and has released some important tips to ensure that you preserve your eyesight.

First, don't look directly at the sun without proper eyewear. You may not have been aware of the fact that sunglasses are not considered proper eyewear for eclipse purposes. You need to have a special set of eclipse glasses or a solar viewer to look directly at the sun, even if it's already partially eclipsed. Buy a pair, and make sure they're less than three years old and the lenses are in good shape. To confirm that they're a quality product, the manufacturer's name and address should appear somewhere on the glasses and they should have ISO 12312-2 certification.

NASA isn't trying to ruin your fun. "While NASA isn't trying to be the eclipse safety glasses 'police,' it's our duty to inform the public about safe ways to view what should be a spectacular sky show for the entire continental United States," said Alex Young, associate director for science in NASA's Heliophysics department.