Total Solar Eclipse | Monday August 21, 2017
If you’ve constructed a personal “bucket list,” you might have listed such items as “spend a months time in Australia” or “travel to all 50 states before you turn 50.” Chances are, crossing off some goals would take considerable time, and might also require a healthy budget.
However, you can easily achieve one of your “bucket list” goals on Monday August 21, 2017. If you’re in Murphy, NC (or nearby) on that afternoon, you’ll be a visible spectator for a not-to-be-missed celestial event for the ages: a total solar eclipse. Even better, you’ll be in one of the best viewing spots on Earth. Read on for your guide to this once-in-a-lifetime eclipse.
ENJOY THIS SOLAR ECLIPSE SNAPSHOT
Because most of us haven’t ever seen a solar eclipse, here’s an easy-to-understand explanation of what will happen on August 21, 2017. First, let’s note the timeframe, as the most exciting action will occur in less than 20 minutes. At 2:33 p.m. EDT, the total solar eclipse begins in North Carolina. At 2:49 p.m. EDT, this spectacular cosmic event comes to an end.
In a nutshell, here’s what happens during a solar eclipse, according to NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). First, it’s common knowledge that the Moon orbits the Earth. Sometimes, the Moon’s orbit places it between the Sun and the Earth, preventing (at least some of) the Sun’s light from reaching the Earth. When this happens, a solar eclipse takes place. On August 21, Nasa has confirmed that most of North America will experience a 2-3 hour partial eclipse, in which the Moon partially blocks the Sun’s rays.
Halfway through this total solar eclipse event, millions of people who live within a 70-mile-wide swath from Oregon to South Carolina and peeking into Georgia, will experience a very short visible total eclipse, in which the Moon, in it’s path, will completely blocks the Sun’s rays from view. Depending on your location, the total eclipse will only last a maximum of 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Continue reading “Guide to Viewing the Total Solar Eclipse in Murphy, NC”