For sky watchers, 2017 will be known as the year of the Great American Total Solar Eclipse.
On August 21st, the moon will completely hide the sun in 12 states, from coast to coast. This will be the first total solar eclipse visible from the United States mainland since 1979.
It's "going to be the most observed, most filmed and photographed, most studied and documented, and, probably, the most appreciated of all eclipses in human history," say Lika Guhathakurta, lead scientist for the Living With a Star program at NASA Headquarters.
The event will also bring a brief "false night" on the "path of totality."
"All of a sudden, you know, you see a 360-degree sunset all around you," Guhathakurta said. "Stars appear. The temperature drops. You can actually hear chirping of grasshoppers. So, animals actually naturally go back to their nocturnal behavior."
About 220 million folks live within one day's drive of the totality path which is 70 miles wide and cuts through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Use this link to view the path and decided where you want to be on August 21st: Xavier Jubier's 2017 Total Eclipse Interactive Google Map
According to Jubier's Map the sun will be 85% obscured at 6:51 PM on August 21st in Apopka. To see less of the sun (and more totality), you will have to drive north at least 360 miles to Canadys, SC. I-95 Exit 68. You will only get a few seconds of totality there.
Choose your viewing spot now. You will have to wait until 2024 for your next chance to drive to a total eclipse.
Use this link to learn more about the National Eclipse.
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