If astronomy’s your thing, then today’s date is a pretty special one.
On August 21st, 2017, the most anticipated solar eclipse in American history will take place. That’s right, we’re just one year away from every space nerd’s dream.
According to NASA, on this date next year, a total solar eclipse — what some are calling the “Great American Eclipse” — will be visible on both coasts. This will also be the first total eclipse visible only in America since our founding fathers broke ground hundreds of years ago. While some states will get to experience a total blackout, pretty much everywhere in the U.S. will observe at least a partial eclipse.
The eclipse will start on the West Coast, in Oregon, before traveling a 67 mile-wide path east and ending in South Carolina. If you’re not one of the 12 million people living directly in the path of the eclipse but still want to see what a few minutes of total darkness feels like in the middle of the day, you’re in luck. According to Space.com, most people not already located in the totality zone are just a day’s drive away.
Plenty of big cities are already planning how to turn the celestial event into a tourism attraction. Nashville, the biggest city in the direct path, has dubbed happening the “Music City Solar Eclipse” and even launched a website where prospective eclipse-watchers can check out local attractions and programs on the day. Oregon, meanwhile, is hosting a four-day event around the time of the eclipse and in Columbia, South Carolina — where the eclipse will end — city planners are preparing for swarms of people to visit on the day.
If, for some reason, you plan your life a year in advance, and August 21st is already filled up, don’t worry. While this will mark the first total solar eclipse for the U.S. in hundreds of years, the moon is giving us a repeat performance in 2024.
(Via USA Today)
