Countdown begins to Great American Eclipse of 2017

Reuters, January 4, 2017

The United States has started counting down to a total solar eclipse that will be visible from coast to coast on August 21, 2017.

The “Great American Eclipse” of 2017 will start in Oregon and pass over 12 states before exiting in South Carolina. Its path will be 67 miles wide, according to NASA.

The eclipse will only be visible from the U.S. and will mark the first time a total solar eclipse has only been visible within the country since it was founded in 1776.

A total solar eclipse occurs when the new moon passes between the sun and the earth. The sun and its rays are completely blocked by the moon in the path of the eclipse.

The last total solar eclipse visible from the U.S. took place in 1991, but could only be seen from parts of Hawaii.

Total solar eclipses take place about once every 18 months, but it’s rare for them to be so accessible.

Next year’s eclipse will be the first to stretch across the entire U.S. since 1918.

But if you miss this one, don’t worry. According to NASA, the country will only have to wait until 2024 for another total solar eclipse.