More details on the American Total Solar Eclipse

Total Solar Eclipse 2017

(TFS) - If you live in the United States, clear your calendar for 21 August 2017.  On that day millions of people across the country will witness the sun disappear behind the Moon for two minutes in the middle of the day.  Daylight will turn to twilight, the temperature will suddenly drop, and an awe-inspiring visual experience will captivate the continent.

For the first time in hundreds of years, the middle of North America will host a total solar eclipse all its own. Rare in its own right, what makes this particular total eclipse unique is that it will only be viewable from the continental United States. The last time this happened was on 29 July 463 CE, making this the first total solar eclipse that is exclusive to the U.S in the nation’s history. The ‘Great American Eclipse’ will be a remarkable event, and is likely to be one of the most witnessed astronomical events for a generation.

A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between earth and the sun, thereby partially or totally obscuring the view of the sun from earth. 

A *total* solar eclipse occurs when the Moons apparent diameter is larger than the sun is, thus blocking all direct sunlight and plunging day into darkness. The so called “path of totality”- the 70-mile-wide (113 km) shadow region from which the total eclipse is visible- will move across the United States from west to east, starting on Oregon (eclipse time: 10:20 AM ) and ending in south Carolina (eclipse time: 2:45PM), racing across no less than 14 American states.

What will I see during a total solar eclipse?

During a total solar eclipse, the disk of the moon blocks out the last sliver of light from the sun, and the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, becomes visible. The corona is far from an indistinct haze; skywatchers report seeing great jets and ribbons of light, twisting and curling out into the sky.

"It brings people to tears," Rick Fienberg, a spokesperson for the American Astronomical Society (AAS), told Space.com of the experience. "It makes people's jaw drop."

During totality, the area inside the moon's shadow is cloaked in twilight — a very strange feeling to experience in the middle of the day. Just before and just after totality, observers can see this cloak of darkness moving toward them across the landscape, and then moving away.

These effects are not visible during a partial solar eclipse, so sky watchers are encouraged to see if they are inside the path of totality during the total eclipse.

The next exclusively American eclipse will be on 25 January 2316.

SBB
source: https://www.space.com/33797-total-solar-eclipse-2017-guide.html