The year of the Great American Total Solar Eclipse is upon us. On Aug. 21, the moon will completely blot out the sun for observers in 12 states, from Oregon to South Carolina, in the first total solar eclipse visible from the United States mainland since 1979. The rest of North America, and parts of South America, Africa and Europe, will be treated to a partial eclipse. Enthusiasm has long been high for the Aug. 21 event, and the excitement will only build in the weeks and months ahead. [ Total Solar Eclipse 2017: When, Where & How to See It (Safely) ] 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," Lika Guhathakurta, lead scientist for the Living With a Star program at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., said last month at the annual fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco. A special solar ecli...
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