• March 29, 2024

Rare Total Eclipse in August Will Leave Some of US in Total Darkness [VIDEO]

 Rare Total Eclipse in August Will Leave Some of US in Total Darkness [VIDEO]

It’s been decades since the last time it occurred but on August 21st, large portions of the United States from Oregon to South Carolina will be hit with a total eclipse.  At the end of this article is a video put out by NASA that shows the areas that will be hit with a total eclipse.  The outlying regions will see a partial eclipse.  Fortunately for me I am dead center in the middle of the total eclipse zone.

 Few things are as magical and beautiful as staring into the night sky. Not only does it put into perspective our place in this vast universe, but it’s a daily reminder of all the great mysteries that still exist despite our unending curiosities!

Well, as if trillions of shining starts are not enough of an incentive to stare up to the heavens, there is another remarkable natural phenomena to look forward to on August 21st that has been decades in the making.

This once-in-a-lifetime event is coming our way this summer, and for some lucky US residents, it will be passing right over their heads.

Parts of the United States will be pitch black during the day, thanks to a rare total solar eclipse. According to NASA, the eclipse will put a big part of continental United States, from Oregon to South Carolina, in total darkness during the daytime. This 70-mile wide belt of night-like skies will pass through the states of Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

While a partial solar eclipse is not an infrequent occurrence, a total solar eclipse when the moon completely covers the sun, is quite a rarity. For a total solar eclipse to exist, not only do the earth, moon, and sun have to line up in that order (which does happen every 18 months or so), but more importantly, the size of the moon (as predicted by its rotational orbit and speed) has to be the same as the size of the sun to cover it completely!

Reseaerchers and Scientists say that this is the first time in decades that the path will go through the US as predicted! The August eclipse is said to last for 2 minutes and 40 seconds, but for those on the outer edge of the 70 mile wide path, the time might be counted only in seconds.

“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.”

H/T Life Aspire

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