On Monday August 21st, the moon will completely cover the sun. For many of us, we can only see a partial solar eclipse. For those of you who live in the states Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, or Georgia, congrats, you’re getting a full view of the eclipse! This is the first coast to coast eclipse in 99 years so many people are traveling great distances just to get a peak. The last time the US saw a full solar eclipse was in 1979, so it’s no surprise people are getting excited. If you don’t live on one of those lucky states that gets to check out the full eclipse, and you aren’t planning to travel, NASA will be live-streaming the eclipse. For more information on that, click here.
Here’s What You Need to Know About The Total Solar Eclipse
It’s imperative that you do not look directly into the eclipse on Monday. It’s never safe to look directly into the sun so it’s important that you find some safe ways to watch the eclipse. Check out this handy video for some tips on how to see the eclipse while protecting your eyes. This is very important, guys!
A solar eclipse is when the sun, moon, and Earth line up so that the moon blocks the sun completely to shadow the Earth. It’s a pretty incredible happenstance! The moon needs to be just far enough from the Earth and at the right size in order for a total eclipse to occur.
So, where will you be watching the total solar eclipse? Let me know in the comments or tweet me @lorenridinger. I know I’ll be watching with the little ones—with proper viewing materials, of course.