Total Solar Eclipse: August 21, 2017
We are now less than ten years away from a total solar eclipse visible from right here in Nashville. On August 21, 2017, we will get the rare opportunity to see the Moon completely cover up the Sun’s face.
Despite what you may have seen on a certain television program about people with superpowers, total solar eclipses are not global events. They are not visible across the entire world at one time.
During a total solar eclipse, the Moon casts a shadow on a small point on the Earth. As a result, you have to be in just the right spot on Earth at just the right time to see the Moon perfectly cover the Sun. A few miles too far from that location, and the best you’ll see will be a partial solar eclipse.
Fortunately, the Moon is orbiting the Earth, and the Earth is rotating. As a result, the Moon’s shadow moves across the Earth over time, allowing more people to see totality. During the 2017 eclipse, the Moon’s shadow cuts a narrow path from South Carolina, through Nebraska, to Oregon. The path is long, but it’s also narrow, scarcely more than 50 miles wide.
And guess what state capital just happens to be in this narrow path? That’s right, Columbia, South Carolina. Just kidding, Nashville’s in the path too! In fact, the point of greatest eclipse, that is, the point on the Earth where the total eclipse lasts the longest, is just northwest of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. There, totality will last for just 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Weather permitting, it will be a beautiful and unforgettable view, not to be missed.
To learn more, and to find an interactive map showing the exact path of totality, visit NASA’s guide online.
Adapted from the November 2007 star chart
