Did you know that the last total solar eclipse that appeared in the United States from the Pacific to the Atlantic, was back on June 8, 1918?!
Back in 1918, the solar eclipse crossed the United States from Washington State to Florida. This was the last time the total eclipse completely crossed our nation. This year, the path of the eclipse is pretty similar and stretches from Oregon to South Carolina. The path is about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide, which means a large part of the U.S. is going to witness an amazing show of our universe in action!
When is this special day you ask? Well, get ready to mark your calendars and set your alarms for Monday, August 21, 2017!
What is a Solar Eclipse?
If you aren’t familiar with what a total solar eclipse is, NASA.gov explains, “A total solar eclipse is only visible from a small area on Earth. The people who see the total eclipse are in the center of the moon’s shadow when it hits Earth. The sky becomes very dark, as if it were night. For a total eclipse to take place, the sun, moon and Earth must be in a direct line.”
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| Credit: Justin Ng |
People are traveling far and wide to see this spectacular display, and our family is one of them! My husband loves science, space exploration and the universe in general. He has been talking about seeing the solar eclipse for the past five years and we figured now is the time to go!
Viewing Map & Simulator
Depending on where you live in the U.S., you can either see a partial or even full eclipse! Here is a picture from NASA.gov showing the path of where the solar eclipse will be in totality.
If you would like to see what the solar eclipse will look like where you live, check out this site my husband found. All you need to do is put in your location and you can watch a video simulating what it will look like as the moon crosses over the sun.
Be Safe
The only time it is safe to view the eclipse with the naked eye, is during totality. This is when the sun's disk is completely covered by the moon. You should NEVER look at a partial solar eclipse without proper eye protection. By doing so, you can cause serious eye damage or blindness.
Solar Eclipse Glasses
We purchased CE & ISO 12312-2:2015 certified solar eclipse glasses on Amazon and decided on a pack of 25! This way we were able to give them out to family so everyone can watch the eclipse safely! Make sure the glasses you purchase are certified for solar eclipse viewing. Past Solar Eclipse Viewings
If you are interested in learning about when and where you might have seen a solar eclipse in the U.S., check out this link. As you will see, the last full viewing across the United States was back in 1918. However, in other years you could have viewed this beautiful sight in a few states or islands here and there. This charts the times from 1918-1991, where the only viewings of total eclipses could have been seen on U.S. soil.
No matter where you live in the United States, you are going to see something. Whether it’s a total or partial eclipse, it’s going to be a spectacular sight you won’t want to miss! Just remember to wear the proper eye protection, so you can enjoy the awe-inspiring display safely.
My whole family is looking forward to this amazing event! My daughter's school has a couple hundred special glasses for folks to use so we plan to go there and safely enjoy the experience!
ReplyDeleteThat's fantastic! Enjoy the viewing! :)
DeleteWOW! It has been almost 100 years since the last total eclipse! I hope people are protecting their eyes so they can still enjoy their full vision after this! A couple of my friends are driving to Kentucky to gander at this spectacular view!
ReplyDeleteI am so excited!! Unfortunately we don't have glasses so may have to steal hubby's welding helmets lol!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a time in history. This will be awesome. Thank you so much for sharing this. God Bless
ReplyDeleteI'm super excited!
ReplyDeleteWe are too far away from anything, here in LA, but exciting to read about.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun to watch the watchers.
ReplyDeleteWe were in KY, not far from the totality area, but we didn't go completely dark here. Still, it was an odd combo of high noon & twilight outside.
ReplyDeleteIt was a unique event. Hope it inspires people to learn more about the great cosmos
ReplyDeleteI watched the solar eclipse on TV, mostly on the NASA and CNN sites.
ReplyDeletethe solor eclspe and it was cool out there
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read this information about a solar eclipse, especially how to watch it safely.
ReplyDeletemy yard had the moon and it was super
ReplyDeleteSo cool to read about this! Eclipses are so cool to learn about.
ReplyDeleteThis was awesome. I am so happy I got to see this. Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd seen this.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't totally dark were I live but it was still cool!
ReplyDeleteman, i still remember this. very cool to see
ReplyDelete