Great American Eclipse Coming August 21st

Millions of Americans will look overhead this month as a total solar eclipse crosses the United States from coast to coast. People in all the contiguous states will see at least a partial eclipse while a narrow band of 14 states will get a full view of the Moon moving between the Earth and Sun.

The eclipse will begin on the Oregon coast as a partial eclipse at 9:06 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, August 21st. It will end later as a partial eclipse along the South Carolina coast at 4:06 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

The Moon’s shadow will block the sunlight for two minutes and 40 seconds, turning day into darkness as the Moon aligns between the Earth and Sun. The air will feel cooler, as much as 10 degrees. Tagged the Great American Eclipse, the entire journey of the Moon’s shadow from the west coast to the east coast will take just 90 minutes.

Scientists will study the eclipse from numerous locations along the narrow band of cities. The next total eclipse that will pass across the U.S. will be in 2024. The last one occurred 99 years ago.

NASA scientists will get the closest look at the eclipse. Several of them will board a specially built Golfstream V jet from Tennessee to record the Moon’s shadow. The astrophysicists will get a very close but a very brief view of the corona. That’s the fuzzy halo that appears around the edges of the Sun when it’s completely covered by the Moon’s shadow.

The corona is what the scientists most want to study. When the Moon shades the brightness of the Sun and the corona is visible, scientists can study the escaping gases that shoot out into space for millions of miles. The corona is visible and safe to watch even to the unaided eye during the brief, total eclipse.

Thousands of photographs will be taken from the ground and from various airplanes in addition to the NASA group flight. The full eclipse takes less than five minutes each time it occurs over and over as the Moon crosses the U.S., so recording the eclipse from several cities will help with the research. 

The Moon will be moving at one and one half times the speed of sound as it crosses the U.S. That’s too fast for the special Golfstream jet to provide more than that one, quick view.

Throughout history, solar eclipses caused fear that resulted in myths and superstitions. Ancient cultures came up with various reasons to understand why the Sun temporarily vanished from the sky. People of ancient China believed that the Sun disappeared because it was eaten by a giant dragon. In fact, the Chinese word for eclipse is shi, which means “to eat.” In Vietnam, people believed a giant frog devoured the Sun. And Norse cultures blamed hungry wolves. Ancient Greeks believed a solar eclipse was a sign from angry gods who were signaling the beginning of pending disasters and destruction on the world.

Irrational fears of solar eclipses exist today. Many cultures around the world see eclipses as evil omens that bring death and destruction. Any such superstitions have no evidence of actually affecting human behavior. Scientists do, however, emphasize that anyone watching a solar eclipse must protect their eyes.

Use eye protection whenever you look at the Sun. The only safe time to watch a total eclipse is during the brief time the Moon’s shadow completely covers the Sun. Otherwise, use specially designed safety glasses that are available from several websites. But the only completely safe way to protect your eyes from sun damage is not to look directly at the sun.

Go outside if you are lucky enough to be in an area where the total or close to total eclipse occurs. The temperature will drop as daylight gives way to partial darkness. And you can watch it in detail on television broadcasts that can show the many photographs and recordings astrophysicists will produce with telescopes and from airplanes.