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Monday’s total eclipse of the sun won’t be just any old eclipse; it’s being referred to as the Great American Eclipse, because it’s going through some very populated areas of the United States. Solar eclipses actually occur every 18 months or so, but during most of them the spectacle is “wasted” on empty ocean. But this afternoon, the moon’s shadow will leave 32 million Americans in 15 states briefly in the dark.

Where is the best place to view the eclipse?

What exactly is a total eclipse?

Astronomy author and educator Ed Ting says that in a solar eclipse, the moon passes exactly between your eyes and the sun, and casts its shadow on the Earth. That shadow is only about 100 miles wide, so you have to be in a specific place to witness the solar eclipse in totality.

It’s all the result of a freakish cosmic coincidence, when the moon and sun appear to be the exact same size in the sky. “The sun is 400 times bigger than the moon,” said Ting. “But by happy coincidence, it is also 400 times further away. So, from our perspective they are the same size.”

What can happen during a total solar eclipse?

But the thrill of an eclipse isn’t just about what’s overhead – it’s what happens all around you as the sky darkens. “The wind sometimes starts to pick up,” said Ting. “Animals get confused. The streetlights come on.”

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