🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 51 (from laksa157)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa051.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/21/us/solar-eclipse-2017/index.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/21/us/solar-eclipse-2017/index.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/07\/21\/us\/solar-eclipse-2017\/index.html","crawl_time":1774805536,"first_indexed_time":1537899732,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,cnn!www,\/2017\/07\/21\/us\/solar-eclipse-2017\/index.html s443","src_root_hash":"2312100192101524051","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Total solar eclipse: Things to know | CNN","meta_descriptions":["On Monday, the sun will disappear – for a short time. Here are some of the things you should know about the total solar eclipse."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Editor’s Note:\nFor complete coverage of the Eclipse of the Century go to\ncnn.com\/eclipse\n. Watch live, in virtual reality, as the eclipse moves coast to coast Monday.\nStory highlights\nAlmost two-thirds of the US population is in driving distance of \"totality\"\n\"This will be like Woodstock 200 times over\"\nA partial eclipse vs. a total eclipse: \"like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night\"\nCNN\n — \nOn Monday, the sun will disappear – for a short time – across America.\nFor a brief moment, day will turn to night.\nAnimals big and small will go into their nighttime routines\n. Stars and planets will be visible, and streetlights will turn on in the middle of the day.\nHere are some of the things you should know about the total solar eclipse happening August 21.\nAd Feedback\nAd Feedback\n“The hair on the back of your neck is going to stand up, and you are going to feel different things as the eclipse reaches totality. It’s been described as peaceful, spiritual, exhilarating, shocking,” said Brian Carlstrom, deputy associate director of the National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate.\nAccording to NASA, experiencing a total solar eclipse where you live happens about once in 375 years. So, unless modern medicine advances considerably in the next few years, you might not make it to the next one.\nThe last time anyone in the United States witnessed a total solar eclipse was almost 40 years ago, on February 26, 1979. It’s been even longer – 99 years – since a total solar eclipse crossed the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The total eclipse on June 8, 1918, passed from Washington to Florida.\nYou can set your clock to it, even to the precise second.\nMake your plans now. If you are reading this at work and want to ask for the day off, you will soon find that all of your science geek colleagues have already asked off for this random Monday in August. If you can’t manage to convey to your boss that no one else will be doing business and you can’t get the day off, block out your calendar for an outdoor meeting or a long lunch\nEven if you live in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago or Atlanta, you will go slightly dark. In fact, all of North America will be able to see a partial eclipse.\nTo see “totality,” in which the moon completely blocks the sun, you will need to be inside the narrow swath – about 70 miles wide – of the moon’s shadow. The path will stretch from the Oregon coast to the South Carolina coast, with 12 states in between.\nNearly 12.2 million Americans live in the path of totality, but NASA predicts that millions more will visit it that day. “About 200 million people (a little less than 2⁄3 the nation’s population) live within one day’s drive of the path of this total eclipse,” the agency said.\n“This will be like Woodstock 200 times over – but across the whole country,” said Alex Young, solar scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.\nThe Federal Highway Administration is calling this a “planned special event for which there has been no recent precedent in the United States.”\nIt expects heavy traffic before and after the eclipse along the path of totality. The agency suggests getting to your chosen spot hours before, if not the day before. The one thing you don’t want to do is come up short of totality.\n“This is one of those rare events where being close is not good enough,” said J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky & Telescope. “A sun that’s 99% covered is vastly different than the one that’s 100% covered. Like I say to people, it’s like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night.”\nMost astronomers have the same advice: Get to the path of totality, because you won’t want to miss this.\n“I know it’s a Monday and for some parts of the country a school day, and it may be inconvenient or cost more than you want, but it really should be a priority,” said David Baron, author of the book “American Eclipse.”  “The general impression is, if you live somewhere with a 90% partial eclipse, that’s good enough. Absolutely not. It’s only during a total solar eclipse that you can take off your eclipse glasses, look up where the sun should be with your naked eye and see a sky you’ve never seen before.”\nA fast-moving shadow\nDuring a total solar eclipse, the moon and the sun both appear to be about the same size from the ground. According to NASA, this is a “celestial coincidence,” as the sun is about 400 times wider than the moon and about 400 times farther away.\nThen, it is just basic geometry. When the Earth, moon and sun line up just right, the moon blocks the sun’s entire surface, creating the total eclipse.\nIf you happened to be sitting on the moon facing Earth, it would look just like the moon is casting a dark circular shadow – called the umbra – on the Earth. This shadow will move across the United States from west to east, but don’t think about trying to keep up with it.\nUnless you are flying a fighter jet, you won’t be able to follow the shadow, which will be traveling at almost 3,000 miles per hour when it enters the US and then slow to nearly 1,500 mph when it traverses South Carolina.\nA larger and fainter shadow called the penumbra will surround the inner shadow. This is what most people will experience – the partial eclipse.\nThe lunar shadow first crosses the West Coast at 9:05 a.m. PDT.\nPeople in Lincoln City, Oregon, will be the first in the continental United States to see the total solar eclipse, beginning at 10:15 a.m. PDT.\nA total solar eclipse can sometimes take as long as 7½ minutes. The longest eclipse duration for this event will occur in Carbondale, Illinois, and will clock in at two minutes, 43 seconds, beginning at 1:20 p.m. CDT.\nEventually, all good things must come to an end, and the lunar shadow will depart the East Coast at 4:09 p.m. EDT.\nThis will be the last total solar eclipse in the United States until\nApril 8, 2024\n.\nIt’s not quite as long of a wait as you might have thought, but it won’t stretch the width of the country. Instead, it will move from Mexico to Maine and then traverse New Brunswick and Newfoundland.\nFor another eclipse similar to this year’s, one that moves from coast to coast, you will have to wait until\nAugust 12, 2045\n.","attrs_markdown":"Thank You\\!\n\nYour effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much appreciated.\n\nClose\n\nAd Feedback\n\n[US](https:\/\/cnn.com\/us)\n\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n\n[Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n\n[Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n\n[Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n\n[Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n\n[More]()\n\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)   [Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)   [Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)   [Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)   [Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n\n[Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription\/all-access)   [Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)\n\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/07\/21\/us\/solar-eclipse-2017\/index.html)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/07\/21\/us\/solar-eclipse-2017\/index.html)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription\/all-access)\n***\nEdition\n\n[US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\n[Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n\nEdition\n\n- [US](https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [International](https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Arabic](https:\/\/arabic.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n- [Español](https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/?hpt=header_edition-picker)\n***\n[Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n\n[Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n\n[Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n\n[Transportation](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/transportation)\n\n[Race & Identity](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/race-and-identity)\n***\nFollow CNN\n\nDownload the CNN App\n***\n\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - 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[Subscribe](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/subscription?source=sub_web_footersubnav-link)\n  - [Photos](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/world\/photos)\n  - [Investigations](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/cnn-investigates)\n  - [CNN Profiles](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles)\n  - [CNN Leadership](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/cnn-leadership)\n  - [CNN Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n  - [Work for CNN](https:\/\/careers.wbd.com\/cnnjobs)\n***\nDownload the CNN App\n\n![Eclipse of the Century](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\n[![Eclipse of the Century](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/specials\/vr\/total-solar-eclipse-2017)\n\nAd Feedback\n\n# Total solar eclipse: Things to know\n[![Judson Jones](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/judson-jones)\n\nBy [Judson Jones](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/profiles\/judson-jones), CNN\n\n5 min read\n\nUpdated 8:37 AM EDT, Tue August 22, 2017\n\nLink Copied\\!\n\n**Unable to load video**\n\nPlease try again later.\n\nError occurred while fetching labs\n\nSubtitles\n\n- Off\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nWhat is an eclipse?\n\n01:11   • Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\nSolar Eclipse 2017  11 videos\n\n![eclipse 2017 chasers\\_00000620.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\n'Eclipse chasers' travel globe to see sun go dark\n\n01:21\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![eclipse animal explainer](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nHow animals react to a solar eclipse\n\n01:21\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![orig nasa solar eclipse from moon\\_00002112.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nWhat a solar eclipse looks like from the moon\n\n01:00\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![what is an eclipse 360 explainer 1](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nWhat is an eclipse?\n\n01:11\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe. ](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nWatch the sun go dark again and again\n\n01:38\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![president trump viewing eclipse\\_00002217.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nPresident Trump views the eclipse\n\n00:50\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![stephanie elam solar eclipse excitement](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nCNN reporter floored by solar eclipse\n\n01:36\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![ian lee cruise ship eclipse](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nCNN reporter aboard cruise ship during totality\n\n02:07\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![first moment of totality](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nFirst moment of totality\n\n00:58\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![Eclipse glasses](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nHow to safely view the eclipse of the century\n\n01:25\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![Crowds in Indonesia gather to observe a total solar eclipse in 2016.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nBest places to watch the solar eclipse\n\n01:32\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![eclipse 2017 chasers\\_00000620.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\n'Eclipse chasers' travel globe to see sun go dark\n\n01:21\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![eclipse animal explainer](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nHow animals react to a solar eclipse\n\n01:21\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![orig nasa solar eclipse from moon\\_00002112.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nWhat a solar eclipse looks like from the moon\n\n01:00\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![what is an eclipse 360 explainer 1](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nWhat is an eclipse?\n\n01:11\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe. ](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nWatch the sun go dark again and again\n\n01:38\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\n![president trump viewing eclipse\\_00002217.jpg](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nVideo Ad Feedback\n\nPresident Trump views the eclipse\n\n00:50\n\nNow playing\n\n• Source: [CNN](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/)\n\nSee more videos\n\n**Editor’s Note:** For complete coverage of the Eclipse of the Century go to [cnn.com\/eclipse](http:\/\/cnn.it\/watcheclipse). Watch live, in virtual reality, as the eclipse moves coast to coast Monday.\n\n### Story highlights\nAlmost two-thirds of the US population is in driving distance of \"totality\"\n\n\"This will be like Woodstock 200 times over\"\n\nA partial eclipse vs. a total eclipse: \"like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night\"\n\nCNN\n\n—\n\nOn Monday, the sun will disappear – for a short time – across America.\n\nFor a brief moment, day will turn to night. [Animals big and small will go into their nighttime routines](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/08\/07\/health\/animals-react-to-the-eclipse\/index.html). Stars and planets will be visible, and streetlights will turn on in the middle of the day.\n\nHere are some of the things you should know about the total solar eclipse happening August 21.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\n## Don’t miss it! This is rare, says NASA\n“The hair on the back of your neck is going to stand up, and you are going to feel different things as the eclipse reaches totality. It’s been described as peaceful, spiritual, exhilarating, shocking,” said Brian Carlstrom, deputy associate director of the National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate.\n\n[![Homestead National monument ](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Homestead National monument Mel Mann\/NPS Related article A slacker's guide to the 2017 solar eclipse](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/travel\/article\/last-minute-guide-2017-solar-eclipse\/index.html)\n\nAccording to NASA, experiencing a total solar eclipse where you live happens about once in 375 years. So, unless modern medicine advances considerably in the next few years, you might not make it to the next one.\n\nThe last time anyone in the United States witnessed a total solar eclipse was almost 40 years ago, on February 26, 1979. It’s been even longer – 99 years – since a total solar eclipse crossed the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The total eclipse on June 8, 1918, passed from Washington to Florida.\n\nYou can set your clock to it, even to the precise second.\n\nMake your plans now. If you are reading this at work and want to ask for the day off, you will soon find that all of your science geek colleagues have already asked off for this random Monday in August. If you can’t manage to convey to your boss that no one else will be doing business and you can’t get the day off, block out your calendar for an outdoor meeting or a long lunch\n\nEven if you live in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago or Atlanta, you will go slightly dark. In fact, all of North America will be able to see a partial eclipse.\n\n## Do you have to be in ‘totality’?\nTo see “totality,” in which the moon completely blocks the sun, you will need to be inside the narrow swath – about 70 miles wide – of the moon’s shadow. The path will stretch from the Oregon coast to the South Carolina coast, with 12 states in between.\n\nNearly 12.2 million Americans live in the path of totality, but NASA predicts that millions more will visit it that day. “About 200 million people (a little less than 2⁄3 the nation’s population) live within one day’s drive of the path of this total eclipse,” the agency said.\n\n[![Processed with VSCO with kk2 preset](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Processed with VSCO with kk2 preset courtesy UPontheRoof Related article 7 rooftop bars to view the total solar eclipse](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/travel\/article\/us-rooftop-bars-solar-eclipse\/index.html)\n\n“This will be like Woodstock 200 times over – but across the whole country,” said Alex Young, solar scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.\n\nThe Federal Highway Administration is calling this a “planned special event for which there has been no recent precedent in the United States.”\n\nIt expects heavy traffic before and after the eclipse along the path of totality. The agency suggests getting to your chosen spot hours before, if not the day before. The one thing you don’t want to do is come up short of totality.\n\n“This is one of those rare events where being close is not good enough,” said J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky & Telescope. “A sun that’s 99% covered is vastly different than the one that’s 100% covered. Like I say to people, it’s like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night.”\n\n[![NASA image of the moon crossing in front of the sun.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) NASA image of the moon crossing in front of the sun. NASA Related article What the eclipse will look like in your backyard](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/08\/10\/weather\/what-the-eclipse-will-look-like\/index.html)\n\nMost astronomers have the same advice: Get to the path of totality, because you won’t want to miss this.\n\n“I know it’s a Monday and for some parts of the country a school day, and it may be inconvenient or cost more than you want, but it really should be a priority,” said David Baron, author of the book “American Eclipse.” “The general impression is, if you live somewhere with a 90% partial eclipse, that’s good enough. Absolutely not. It’s only during a total solar eclipse that you can take off your eclipse glasses, look up where the sun should be with your naked eye and see a sky you’ve never seen before.”\n\n## A fast-moving shadow\nDuring a total solar eclipse, the moon and the sun both appear to be about the same size from the ground. According to NASA, this is a “celestial coincidence,” as the sun is about 400 times wider than the moon and about 400 times farther away.\n\nThen, it is just basic geometry. When the Earth, moon and sun line up just right, the moon blocks the sun’s entire surface, creating the total eclipse.\n\n![weather total eclipse explainer](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg)\n\nCNN \/ Judson Jones\n\nIf you happened to be sitting on the moon facing Earth, it would look just like the moon is casting a dark circular shadow – called the umbra – on the Earth. This shadow will move across the United States from west to east, but don’t think about trying to keep up with it.\n\nUnless you are flying a fighter jet, you won’t be able to follow the shadow, which will be traveling at almost 3,000 miles per hour when it enters the US and then slow to nearly 1,500 mph when it traverses South Carolina.\n\nA larger and fainter shadow called the penumbra will surround the inner shadow. This is what most people will experience – the partial eclipse.\n\n## Precision timing\nThe lunar shadow first crosses the West Coast at 9:05 a.m. PDT.\n\nPeople in Lincoln City, Oregon, will be the first in the continental United States to see the total solar eclipse, beginning at 10:15 a.m. PDT.\n\nA total solar eclipse can sometimes take as long as 7½ minutes. The longest eclipse duration for this event will occur in Carbondale, Illinois, and will clock in at two minutes, 43 seconds, beginning at 1:20 p.m. CDT.\n\n[![Filmmaker David Makepeace observing a total solar eclipse in Australia in November 2012.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Filmmaker David Makepeace observing a total solar eclipse in Australia in November 2012. Courtesy David Makepeace Related article 'Shadow lovers' revel in eclipse darkness](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/07\/31\/us\/solar-eclipse-chasers\/index.html)\n\nEventually, all good things must come to an end, and the lunar shadow will depart the East Coast at 4:09 p.m. EDT.\n\nThis will be the last total solar eclipse in the United States until [April 8, 2024](https:\/\/eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov\/SEgoogle\/SEgoogle2001\/SE2024Apr08Tgoogle.html).\n\nIt’s not quite as long of a wait as you might have thought, but it won’t stretch the width of the country. Instead, it will move from Mexico to Maine and then traverse New Brunswick and Newfoundland.\n\nFor another eclipse similar to this year’s, one that moves from coast to coast, you will have to wait until [August 12, 2045](https:\/\/eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov\/SEgoogle\/SEgoogle2001\/SE2045Aug12Tgoogle.html).\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\nSubscribe\n\nSign in\n\nMy Account\n\n- [Settings](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/account\/settings)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/newsletters)\n- [Topics you follow](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/follow?iid=fw_var-nav)\n- [Sign out](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/07\/21\/us\/solar-eclipse-2017\/index.html)\n\nYour CNN account Sign in to your CNN account\n***\n[Listen](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/audio)   [Watch](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/watch)\n***\n- [US](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us)\n  - [Crime & Justice](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/crime-and-justice)\n  - [Immigration](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/immigration)\n  - [Education](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/us\/education)\n  - 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All Rights Reserved.   \n CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from Google Play.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/google-play-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n## Download the CNN app\nScan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.\n\n![Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/app-store-cnn-app-qr-code.png)\n\n![CNN Logo](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/media\/sites\/cnn\/cnn.svg)\n\n## Legal Terms and Privacy\nBy clicking Agree, you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our Privacy Policy.\n\nBy clicking \"Agree\", you have read and agree to the [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/terms) and agree to the collection and use of your information by cookies and similar technologies, as set forth in our [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/privacy).\n\n[Agree](https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/07\/21\/us\/solar-eclipse-2017\/index.html)","attrs_readable_markdown":"**Editor’s Note:** For complete coverage of the Eclipse of the Century go to [cnn.com\/eclipse](http:\/\/cnn.it\/watcheclipse). Watch live, in virtual reality, as the eclipse moves coast to coast Monday.\n\n### Story highlights\nAlmost two-thirds of the US population is in driving distance of \"totality\"\n\n\"This will be like Woodstock 200 times over\"\n\nA partial eclipse vs. a total eclipse: \"like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night\"\n\nCNN —\n\nOn Monday, the sun will disappear – for a short time – across America.\n\nFor a brief moment, day will turn to night. [Animals big and small will go into their nighttime routines](http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/08\/07\/health\/animals-react-to-the-eclipse\/index.html). Stars and planets will be visible, and streetlights will turn on in the middle of the day.\n\nHere are some of the things you should know about the total solar eclipse happening August 21.\n\nAd Feedback\n\nAd Feedback\n\n“The hair on the back of your neck is going to stand up, and you are going to feel different things as the eclipse reaches totality. It’s been described as peaceful, spiritual, exhilarating, shocking,” said Brian Carlstrom, deputy associate director of the National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate.\n\nAccording to NASA, experiencing a total solar eclipse where you live happens about once in 375 years. So, unless modern medicine advances considerably in the next few years, you might not make it to the next one.\n\nThe last time anyone in the United States witnessed a total solar eclipse was almost 40 years ago, on February 26, 1979. It’s been even longer – 99 years – since a total solar eclipse crossed the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The total eclipse on June 8, 1918, passed from Washington to Florida.\n\nYou can set your clock to it, even to the precise second.\n\nMake your plans now. If you are reading this at work and want to ask for the day off, you will soon find that all of your science geek colleagues have already asked off for this random Monday in August. If you can’t manage to convey to your boss that no one else will be doing business and you can’t get the day off, block out your calendar for an outdoor meeting or a long lunch\n\nEven if you live in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago or Atlanta, you will go slightly dark. In fact, all of North America will be able to see a partial eclipse.\n\nTo see “totality,” in which the moon completely blocks the sun, you will need to be inside the narrow swath – about 70 miles wide – of the moon’s shadow. The path will stretch from the Oregon coast to the South Carolina coast, with 12 states in between.\n\nNearly 12.2 million Americans live in the path of totality, but NASA predicts that millions more will visit it that day. “About 200 million people (a little less than 2⁄3 the nation’s population) live within one day’s drive of the path of this total eclipse,” the agency said.\n\n“This will be like Woodstock 200 times over – but across the whole country,” said Alex Young, solar scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.\n\nThe Federal Highway Administration is calling this a “planned special event for which there has been no recent precedent in the United States.”\n\nIt expects heavy traffic before and after the eclipse along the path of totality. The agency suggests getting to your chosen spot hours before, if not the day before. The one thing you don’t want to do is come up short of totality.\n\n“This is one of those rare events where being close is not good enough,” said J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky & Telescope. “A sun that’s 99% covered is vastly different than the one that’s 100% covered. Like I say to people, it’s like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night.”\n\nMost astronomers have the same advice: Get to the path of totality, because you won’t want to miss this.\n\n“I know it’s a Monday and for some parts of the country a school day, and it may be inconvenient or cost more than you want, but it really should be a priority,” said David Baron, author of the book “American Eclipse.” “The general impression is, if you live somewhere with a 90% partial eclipse, that’s good enough. Absolutely not. It’s only during a total solar eclipse that you can take off your eclipse glasses, look up where the sun should be with your naked eye and see a sky you’ve never seen before.”\n\n## A fast-moving shadow\nDuring a total solar eclipse, the moon and the sun both appear to be about the same size from the ground. According to NASA, this is a “celestial coincidence,” as the sun is about 400 times wider than the moon and about 400 times farther away.\n\nThen, it is just basic geometry. When the Earth, moon and sun line up just right, the moon blocks the sun’s entire surface, creating the total eclipse.\n\nIf you happened to be sitting on the moon facing Earth, it would look just like the moon is casting a dark circular shadow – called the umbra – on the Earth. This shadow will move across the United States from west to east, but don’t think about trying to keep up with it.\n\nUnless you are flying a fighter jet, you won’t be able to follow the shadow, which will be traveling at almost 3,000 miles per hour when it enters the US and then slow to nearly 1,500 mph when it traverses South Carolina.\n\nA larger and fainter shadow called the penumbra will surround the inner shadow. This is what most people will experience – the partial eclipse.\n\nThe lunar shadow first crosses the West Coast at 9:05 a.m. PDT.\n\nPeople in Lincoln City, Oregon, will be the first in the continental United States to see the total solar eclipse, beginning at 10:15 a.m. PDT.\n\nA total solar eclipse can sometimes take as long as 7½ minutes. The longest eclipse duration for this event will occur in Carbondale, Illinois, and will clock in at two minutes, 43 seconds, beginning at 1:20 p.m. CDT.\n\nEventually, all good things must come to an end, and the lunar shadow will depart the East Coast at 4:09 p.m. EDT.\n\nThis will be the last total solar eclipse in the United States until [April 8, 2024](https:\/\/eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov\/SEgoogle\/SEgoogle2001\/SE2024Apr08Tgoogle.html).\n\nIt’s not quite as long of a wait as you might have thought, but it won’t stretch the width of the country. Instead, it will move from Mexico to Maine and then traverse New Brunswick and Newfoundland.\n\nFor another eclipse similar to this year’s, one that moves from coast to coast, you will have to wait until [August 12, 2045](https:\/\/eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov\/SEgoogle\/SEgoogle2001\/SE2045Aug12Tgoogle.html).","meta_canonical":"com,cnn!www,\/2017\/07\/21\/us\/solar-eclipse-2017 s443"}

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Meta Title	Total solar eclipse: Things to know \| CNN
Meta Description	On Monday, the sun will disappear – for a short time. Here are some of the things you should know about the total solar eclipse.
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Boilerpipe Text	Editor’s Note: For complete coverage of the Eclipse of the Century go to cnn.com/eclipse . Watch live, in virtual reality, as the eclipse moves coast to coast Monday. Story highlights Almost two-thirds of the US population is in driving distance of "totality" "This will be like Woodstock 200 times over" A partial eclipse vs. a total eclipse: "like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night" CNN — On Monday, the sun will disappear – for a short time – across America. For a brief moment, day will turn to night. Animals big and small will go into their nighttime routines . Stars and planets will be visible, and streetlights will turn on in the middle of the day. Here are some of the things you should know about the total solar eclipse happening August 21. Ad Feedback Ad Feedback “The hair on the back of your neck is going to stand up, and you are going to feel different things as the eclipse reaches totality. It’s been described as peaceful, spiritual, exhilarating, shocking,” said Brian Carlstrom, deputy associate director of the National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate. According to NASA, experiencing a total solar eclipse where you live happens about once in 375 years. So, unless modern medicine advances considerably in the next few years, you might not make it to the next one. The last time anyone in the United States witnessed a total solar eclipse was almost 40 years ago, on February 26, 1979. It’s been even longer – 99 years – since a total solar eclipse crossed the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The total eclipse on June 8, 1918, passed from Washington to Florida. You can set your clock to it, even to the precise second. Make your plans now. If you are reading this at work and want to ask for the day off, you will soon find that all of your science geek colleagues have already asked off for this random Monday in August. If you can’t manage to convey to your boss that no one else will be doing business and you can’t get the day off, block out your calendar for an outdoor meeting or a long lunch Even if you live in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago or Atlanta, you will go slightly dark. In fact, all of North America will be able to see a partial eclipse. To see “totality,” in which the moon completely blocks the sun, you will need to be inside the narrow swath – about 70 miles wide – of the moon’s shadow. The path will stretch from the Oregon coast to the South Carolina coast, with 12 states in between. Nearly 12.2 million Americans live in the path of totality, but NASA predicts that millions more will visit it that day. “About 200 million people (a little less than 2⁄3 the nation’s population) live within one day’s drive of the path of this total eclipse,” the agency said. “This will be like Woodstock 200 times over – but across the whole country,” said Alex Young, solar scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Federal Highway Administration is calling this a “planned special event for which there has been no recent precedent in the United States.” It expects heavy traffic before and after the eclipse along the path of totality. The agency suggests getting to your chosen spot hours before, if not the day before. The one thing you don’t want to do is come up short of totality. “This is one of those rare events where being close is not good enough,” said J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky & Telescope. “A sun that’s 99% covered is vastly different than the one that’s 100% covered. Like I say to people, it’s like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night.” Most astronomers have the same advice: Get to the path of totality, because you won’t want to miss this. “I know it’s a Monday and for some parts of the country a school day, and it may be inconvenient or cost more than you want, but it really should be a priority,” said David Baron, author of the book “American Eclipse.” “The general impression is, if you live somewhere with a 90% partial eclipse, that’s good enough. Absolutely not. It’s only during a total solar eclipse that you can take off your eclipse glasses, look up where the sun should be with your naked eye and see a sky you’ve never seen before.” A fast-moving shadow During a total solar eclipse, the moon and the sun both appear to be about the same size from the ground. According to NASA, this is a “celestial coincidence,” as the sun is about 400 times wider than the moon and about 400 times farther away. Then, it is just basic geometry. When the Earth, moon and sun line up just right, the moon blocks the sun’s entire surface, creating the total eclipse. If you happened to be sitting on the moon facing Earth, it would look just like the moon is casting a dark circular shadow – called the umbra – on the Earth. This shadow will move across the United States from west to east, but don’t think about trying to keep up with it. Unless you are flying a fighter jet, you won’t be able to follow the shadow, which will be traveling at almost 3,000 miles per hour when it enters the US and then slow to nearly 1,500 mph when it traverses South Carolina. A larger and fainter shadow called the penumbra will surround the inner shadow. This is what most people will experience – the partial eclipse. The lunar shadow first crosses the West Coast at 9:05 a.m. PDT. People in Lincoln City, Oregon, will be the first in the continental United States to see the total solar eclipse, beginning at 10:15 a.m. PDT. A total solar eclipse can sometimes take as long as 7½ minutes. The longest eclipse duration for this event will occur in Carbondale, Illinois, and will clock in at two minutes, 43 seconds, beginning at 1:20 p.m. CDT. Eventually, all good things must come to an end, and the lunar shadow will depart the East Coast at 4:09 p.m. EDT. This will be the last total solar eclipse in the United States until April 8, 2024 . It’s not quite as long of a wait as you might have thought, but it won’t stretch the width of the country. Instead, it will move from Mexico to Maine and then traverse New Brunswick and Newfoundland. For another eclipse similar to this year’s, one that moves from coast to coast, you will have to wait until August 12, 2045 .
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Error occurred while fetching labs Subtitles - Off Video Ad Feedback What is an eclipse? 01:11 • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) Solar Eclipse 2017 11 videos ![eclipse 2017 chasers\_00000620.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback 'Eclipse chasers' travel globe to see sun go dark 01:21 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![eclipse animal explainer](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback How animals react to a solar eclipse 01:21 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![orig nasa solar eclipse from moon\_00002112.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback What a solar eclipse looks like from the moon 01:00 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![what is an eclipse 360 explainer 1](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback What is an eclipse? 01:11 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe. ](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Watch the sun go dark again and again 01:38 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![president trump viewing eclipse\_00002217.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback President Trump views the eclipse 00:50 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![stephanie elam solar eclipse excitement](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback CNN reporter floored by solar eclipse 01:36 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![ian lee cruise ship eclipse](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback CNN reporter aboard cruise ship during totality 02:07 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![first moment of totality](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback First moment of totality 00:58 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![Eclipse glasses](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback How to safely view the eclipse of the century 01:25 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![Crowds in Indonesia gather to observe a total solar eclipse in 2016.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Best places to watch the solar eclipse 01:32 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![eclipse 2017 chasers\_00000620.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback 'Eclipse chasers' travel globe to see sun go dark 01:21 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![eclipse animal explainer](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback How animals react to a solar eclipse 01:21 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![orig nasa solar eclipse from moon\_00002112.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback What a solar eclipse looks like from the moon 01:00 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![what is an eclipse 360 explainer 1](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback What is an eclipse? 01:11 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![A total solar eclipse is seen on Monday, August 21, 2017 above Madras, Oregon. A total solar eclipse swept across a narrow portion of the contiguous United States from Lincoln Beach, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. A partial solar eclipse was visible across the entire North American continent along with parts of South America, Africa, and Europe. ](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback Watch the sun go dark again and again 01:38 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) ![president trump viewing eclipse\_00002217.jpg](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Video Ad Feedback President Trump views the eclipse 00:50 Now playing • Source: [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/) See more videos Editor’s Note: For complete coverage of the Eclipse of the Century go to [cnn.com/eclipse](http://cnn.it/watcheclipse). Watch live, in virtual reality, as the eclipse moves coast to coast Monday. ### Story highlights Almost two-thirds of the US population is in driving distance of "totality" "This will be like Woodstock 200 times over" A partial eclipse vs. a total eclipse: "like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night" CNN — On Monday, the sun will disappear – for a short time – across America. For a brief moment, day will turn to night. [Animals big and small will go into their nighttime routines](http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/07/health/animals-react-to-the-eclipse/index.html). Stars and planets will be visible, and streetlights will turn on in the middle of the day. Here are some of the things you should know about the total solar eclipse happening August 21. Ad Feedback Ad Feedback ## Don’t miss it! This is rare, says NASA “The hair on the back of your neck is going to stand up, and you are going to feel different things as the eclipse reaches totality. It’s been described as peaceful, spiritual, exhilarating, shocking,” said Brian Carlstrom, deputy associate director of the National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate. [![Homestead National monument ](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Homestead National monument Mel Mann/NPS Related article A slacker's guide to the 2017 solar eclipse](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/last-minute-guide-2017-solar-eclipse/index.html) According to NASA, experiencing a total solar eclipse where you live happens about once in 375 years. So, unless modern medicine advances considerably in the next few years, you might not make it to the next one. The last time anyone in the United States witnessed a total solar eclipse was almost 40 years ago, on February 26, 1979. It’s been even longer – 99 years – since a total solar eclipse crossed the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The total eclipse on June 8, 1918, passed from Washington to Florida. You can set your clock to it, even to the precise second. Make your plans now. If you are reading this at work and want to ask for the day off, you will soon find that all of your science geek colleagues have already asked off for this random Monday in August. If you can’t manage to convey to your boss that no one else will be doing business and you can’t get the day off, block out your calendar for an outdoor meeting or a long lunch Even if you live in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago or Atlanta, you will go slightly dark. In fact, all of North America will be able to see a partial eclipse. ## Do you have to be in ‘totality’? To see “totality,” in which the moon completely blocks the sun, you will need to be inside the narrow swath – about 70 miles wide – of the moon’s shadow. The path will stretch from the Oregon coast to the South Carolina coast, with 12 states in between. Nearly 12.2 million Americans live in the path of totality, but NASA predicts that millions more will visit it that day. “About 200 million people (a little less than 2⁄3 the nation’s population) live within one day’s drive of the path of this total eclipse,” the agency said. [![Processed with VSCO with kk2 preset](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Processed with VSCO with kk2 preset courtesy UPontheRoof Related article 7 rooftop bars to view the total solar eclipse](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/us-rooftop-bars-solar-eclipse/index.html) “This will be like Woodstock 200 times over – but across the whole country,” said Alex Young, solar scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Federal Highway Administration is calling this a “planned special event for which there has been no recent precedent in the United States.” It expects heavy traffic before and after the eclipse along the path of totality. The agency suggests getting to your chosen spot hours before, if not the day before. The one thing you don’t want to do is come up short of totality. “This is one of those rare events where being close is not good enough,” said J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky & Telescope. “A sun that’s 99% covered is vastly different than the one that’s 100% covered. Like I say to people, it’s like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night.” [![NASA image of the moon crossing in front of the sun.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) NASA image of the moon crossing in front of the sun. NASA Related article What the eclipse will look like in your backyard](https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/10/weather/what-the-eclipse-will-look-like/index.html) Most astronomers have the same advice: Get to the path of totality, because you won’t want to miss this. “I know it’s a Monday and for some parts of the country a school day, and it may be inconvenient or cost more than you want, but it really should be a priority,” said David Baron, author of the book “American Eclipse.” “The general impression is, if you live somewhere with a 90% partial eclipse, that’s good enough. Absolutely not. It’s only during a total solar eclipse that you can take off your eclipse glasses, look up where the sun should be with your naked eye and see a sky you’ve never seen before.” ## A fast-moving shadow During a total solar eclipse, the moon and the sun both appear to be about the same size from the ground. According to NASA, this is a “celestial coincidence,” as the sun is about 400 times wider than the moon and about 400 times farther away. Then, it is just basic geometry. When the Earth, moon and sun line up just right, the moon blocks the sun’s entire surface, creating the total eclipse. ![weather total eclipse explainer](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) CNN / Judson Jones If you happened to be sitting on the moon facing Earth, it would look just like the moon is casting a dark circular shadow – called the umbra – on the Earth. This shadow will move across the United States from west to east, but don’t think about trying to keep up with it. Unless you are flying a fighter jet, you won’t be able to follow the shadow, which will be traveling at almost 3,000 miles per hour when it enters the US and then slow to nearly 1,500 mph when it traverses South Carolina. A larger and fainter shadow called the penumbra will surround the inner shadow. This is what most people will experience – the partial eclipse. ## Precision timing The lunar shadow first crosses the West Coast at 9:05 a.m. PDT. People in Lincoln City, Oregon, will be the first in the continental United States to see the total solar eclipse, beginning at 10:15 a.m. PDT. A total solar eclipse can sometimes take as long as 7½ minutes. The longest eclipse duration for this event will occur in Carbondale, Illinois, and will clock in at two minutes, 43 seconds, beginning at 1:20 p.m. CDT. [![Filmmaker David Makepeace observing a total solar eclipse in Australia in November 2012.](https://www.cnn.com/media/sites/cnn/cnn-fallback-image.jpg) Filmmaker David Makepeace observing a total solar eclipse in Australia in November 2012. Courtesy David Makepeace Related article 'Shadow lovers' revel in eclipse darkness](https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/31/us/solar-eclipse-chasers/index.html) Eventually, all good things must come to an end, and the lunar shadow will depart the East Coast at 4:09 p.m. EDT. This will be the last total solar eclipse in the United States until [April 8, 2024](https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2024Apr08Tgoogle.html). It’s not quite as long of a wait as you might have thought, but it won’t stretch the width of the country. Instead, it will move from Mexico to Maine and then traverse New Brunswick and Newfoundland. For another eclipse similar to this year’s, one that moves from coast to coast, you will have to wait until [August 12, 2045](https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2045Aug12Tgoogle.html). 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Readable Markdown	Editor’s Note: For complete coverage of the Eclipse of the Century go to [cnn.com/eclipse](http://cnn.it/watcheclipse). Watch live, in virtual reality, as the eclipse moves coast to coast Monday. ### Story highlights Almost two-thirds of the US population is in driving distance of "totality" "This will be like Woodstock 200 times over" A partial eclipse vs. a total eclipse: "like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night" CNN — On Monday, the sun will disappear – for a short time – across America. For a brief moment, day will turn to night. [Animals big and small will go into their nighttime routines](http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/07/health/animals-react-to-the-eclipse/index.html). Stars and planets will be visible, and streetlights will turn on in the middle of the day. Here are some of the things you should know about the total solar eclipse happening August 21. Ad Feedback Ad Feedback “The hair on the back of your neck is going to stand up, and you are going to feel different things as the eclipse reaches totality. It’s been described as peaceful, spiritual, exhilarating, shocking,” said Brian Carlstrom, deputy associate director of the National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Directorate. According to NASA, experiencing a total solar eclipse where you live happens about once in 375 years. So, unless modern medicine advances considerably in the next few years, you might not make it to the next one. The last time anyone in the United States witnessed a total solar eclipse was almost 40 years ago, on February 26, 1979. It’s been even longer – 99 years – since a total solar eclipse crossed the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The total eclipse on June 8, 1918, passed from Washington to Florida. You can set your clock to it, even to the precise second. Make your plans now. If you are reading this at work and want to ask for the day off, you will soon find that all of your science geek colleagues have already asked off for this random Monday in August. If you can’t manage to convey to your boss that no one else will be doing business and you can’t get the day off, block out your calendar for an outdoor meeting or a long lunch Even if you live in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago or Atlanta, you will go slightly dark. In fact, all of North America will be able to see a partial eclipse. To see “totality,” in which the moon completely blocks the sun, you will need to be inside the narrow swath – about 70 miles wide – of the moon’s shadow. The path will stretch from the Oregon coast to the South Carolina coast, with 12 states in between. Nearly 12.2 million Americans live in the path of totality, but NASA predicts that millions more will visit it that day. “About 200 million people (a little less than 2⁄3 the nation’s population) live within one day’s drive of the path of this total eclipse,” the agency said. “This will be like Woodstock 200 times over – but across the whole country,” said Alex Young, solar scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Federal Highway Administration is calling this a “planned special event for which there has been no recent precedent in the United States.” It expects heavy traffic before and after the eclipse along the path of totality. The agency suggests getting to your chosen spot hours before, if not the day before. The one thing you don’t want to do is come up short of totality. “This is one of those rare events where being close is not good enough,” said J. Kelly Beatty, senior editor of Sky & Telescope. “A sun that’s 99% covered is vastly different than the one that’s 100% covered. Like I say to people, it’s like being on a first date versus being on your wedding night.” Most astronomers have the same advice: Get to the path of totality, because you won’t want to miss this. “I know it’s a Monday and for some parts of the country a school day, and it may be inconvenient or cost more than you want, but it really should be a priority,” said David Baron, author of the book “American Eclipse.” “The general impression is, if you live somewhere with a 90% partial eclipse, that’s good enough. Absolutely not. It’s only during a total solar eclipse that you can take off your eclipse glasses, look up where the sun should be with your naked eye and see a sky you’ve never seen before.” ## A fast-moving shadow During a total solar eclipse, the moon and the sun both appear to be about the same size from the ground. According to NASA, this is a “celestial coincidence,” as the sun is about 400 times wider than the moon and about 400 times farther away. Then, it is just basic geometry. When the Earth, moon and sun line up just right, the moon blocks the sun’s entire surface, creating the total eclipse. If you happened to be sitting on the moon facing Earth, it would look just like the moon is casting a dark circular shadow – called the umbra – on the Earth. This shadow will move across the United States from west to east, but don’t think about trying to keep up with it. Unless you are flying a fighter jet, you won’t be able to follow the shadow, which will be traveling at almost 3,000 miles per hour when it enters the US and then slow to nearly 1,500 mph when it traverses South Carolina. A larger and fainter shadow called the penumbra will surround the inner shadow. This is what most people will experience – the partial eclipse. The lunar shadow first crosses the West Coast at 9:05 a.m. PDT. People in Lincoln City, Oregon, will be the first in the continental United States to see the total solar eclipse, beginning at 10:15 a.m. PDT. A total solar eclipse can sometimes take as long as 7½ minutes. The longest eclipse duration for this event will occur in Carbondale, Illinois, and will clock in at two minutes, 43 seconds, beginning at 1:20 p.m. CDT. Eventually, all good things must come to an end, and the lunar shadow will depart the East Coast at 4:09 p.m. EDT. This will be the last total solar eclipse in the United States until [April 8, 2024](https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2024Apr08Tgoogle.html). It’s not quite as long of a wait as you might have thought, but it won’t stretch the width of the country. Instead, it will move from Mexico to Maine and then traverse New Brunswick and Newfoundland. For another eclipse similar to this year’s, one that moves from coast to coast, you will have to wait until [August 12, 2045](https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2045Aug12Tgoogle.html).
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