Skywatchers in the United States are preparing for a spectacular eclipse that is without precedent in their country’s 241-year history.
A total eclipse will sweep across the nation on Monday, from Oregon on the west coast to South Carolina on the eastern seaboard.
How the eclipse will shape out
It is the first such eclipse to make landfall exclusively in the US since the country’s independence in 1776.
Total solar eclipses see the Moon slip between the Earth and the Sun.
The Moon’s diameter appears to be the same size as that of our star and so blocks out its light.
A giant shadow cast by this occultation then races across the surface of the Earth, plunging locations into darkness for a couple of minutes or more.
Those not directly under the Moon’s shadow get to experience a partial eclipse which on this occasion will encompass all of North America and northern parts of South America.
National Parks preparing for influx of visitors
There are even parts of western Europe, including the UK and Ireland, that will snatch a sight of the Moon’s disc taking a bite out of the Sun just as it sets.
directly at the Sun with the naked eye can be dangerous.
The 21 August eclipse is the first since 1918 where the path of totality crosses both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the US.
As it is, more than 12 million people live on the path of deepest shadow (“totality”). Nearly four times that many live within a two-hour’s drive, and over 200 million live within a day’s drive.
The place that will experience the longest period of totality (2 mins, 40 sec) is about 10km south of the city of Carbondale, Illinois.
The last region in the path of deepest shadow is South Carolina. The Atlantic coastal city of Charleston experiences its eclipse at 14:47 local time (18:47 GMT; 19:47 BST).
It is around this time that Europeans will be catching their partial view of the event.
Ireland, Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland see a full partial eclipse. In Belfast, for example, this partial starts at 19:37 BST and ends at 20:23 BST.
Southern England sees the moon start to take a chunk out of the Sun just as it goes over the horizon. Skywatchers will want to make for high ground and pray that any cloud clears just at the right moment. BBC
How to watch the eclipse
