Get Ready For The Great American Total Solar Eclipse Of 2017, The First In 100 Years

NASA recently announced that it is time to get ready for the great American total solar eclipse that will take place on Aug. 21 2017. This is the first time in nearly 100 years that the majority of continental United States of America will be swept under the darkness of an absolute Sun eclipse, and it is the first time since 1979 when a solar eclipse will be visible from the U.S. And this is precisely the reason why skywatchers should not miss out on it.

According to NASA, the eclipse would be seen from the continental U.S.' coast to coast, and the total eclipse will be visible in cities from Salem, OR (from 1:15 p.m. EDT) to Charleston, SC (2:48 p.m. EDT). Furthermore, the eclipse will be longest between St. Louis, MO, and Nashville, TN. The solar eclipse will reportedly start over the Pacific Ocean and will end over the Atlantic Ocean.

Apart from solar eclipses being a delightful phenomenon for skywatchers, they are also a time when researchers conduct some serious experiments. "An eclipse teaches us so many things, but the 2017 eclipse is especially unique because of the uninterrupted land masses it will pass over," Lika Guhathakurta, a NASA astrophysicist, said in a statement. "This will allow us to maximize our chance to collect data and connect the shadow of the moon to Earth science." A total solar eclipse enables scientists to observe the Sun's corona, which is its outer atmosphere that could reveal information about the solar wind, coronal mass ejections and solar flares.

It should be noted that skywatchers should observe the solar eclipse with safe viewing technique to avoid damaging the eyes. Furthermore, it is never a good idea to look directly at the Sun with the naked eye, and such a step should be strictly avoided.