On August 21st a total solar eclipse will occur. Though these eclipses happen every 18 months, this one is special because the United States will be in its path of totality from coast to coast.
Dr. Nicholeen Viall is a Research Astrophysicist with NASA. She studies the sun and sun/Earth interactions.
Viall says the eclipse’s path of totality will enter in Oregon, go all across the US and exit out of South Carolina so people all over the country will be able to see this total solar eclipse.
She explains a total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and the earth. The alignment has to be just right for the moon to be blocking out all of the sun’s light.
Viall says it only happens every once in a while.
"And even when it does happen, for it to line up so it will go coast to coast like that is pretty rare. The last one was in 1918 in the United States. We can view total solar eclipses throughout the world every year and a half or so but a lot of times they will actually be most visible over the ocean because we have a lot of ocean on the earth and they won’t be visible from the United States all the time.”
Viall says during the eclipse, NASA will be able to view the solar corona and study it.
She says that can only happen during an eclipse because the sun is blocked. Usually the main body of the sun is so bright that you can’t see the corona.
For tips on viewing the solar eclipse safely, the website is Eclipse2017.nasa.gov.