the United States' 2017 total solar eclipse

Note: This article was first published on 15th August 2017. I've republished it here, followed by a brief update.

---

On 21st August, 2017, across a narrow band of land from Oregon to South Carolina, the summer will briefly be interrupted. The sky will dramatically darken, revealing bright stars and planets, the temperature will drop and any summer breeze will die away. Even birds and insects will fall silent. This will be the first total solar eclipse in the contiguous United States since 1979; the next two after this will be in 2024 and 2045.

Most of us have seen a lunar eclipse, when the Moon is obscured by Earth's shadow. A solar eclipse is very different; much rarer and far more spectacular. In this case, it is the Sun that is obscured by the Moon.

A comparison between a lunar and a solar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when the Full Moon passes into the shadow cast by Earth. A solar eclipse occurs at New Moon, when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth, and the Moon's shadow is cast on Earth's surface. Note: image not to scale.