The last one in the continental US was in 1979 and on average it can take hundreds of years for one to reoccur at the exact same spot. But it’s coming Monday Aug 21, a total solar eclipse! A total solar eclipse happens when the moon fully blocks the sun from the earth. This map shows the path that will see the total solar eclipse, while the rest of North America and parts of South America, Africa, and Europe will see at least a partial one.
NASA has the timings and spots for you where you can see the total eclipse, first starting at Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 9:05 a.m. PT, ending near Charleston, South Carolina at 2:48 p.m. EDT. See the map and timings here.
Your parents may have told you as a kid never to look directly at the sun, which is still true unless there’s a total solar eclipse. For a partial eclipse make sure you have the right glasses!
Get ready, it’s going to get dark! You’re not alone if that scares you, even as an adult.