The lights go out August 21. UPDATED!

Total Solar Eclipse Coming!

Some facts about this Eclipse.  

According to the Astronomers, the last Total Eclipse occurred on February 27, 1979. It was only seen in 5 North Western States and was apparently not that visible due to poor weather conditions. 

There was one only 9 years before this in 1970. Mind you these are not coast to coast.

The last Coast to Coast event one happened in 1918. Here is a map of its path.

And here is a link for the entire area:   https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/eclipse-maps/

There are a few factors that help bring the Total Eclipse around. 

1. They always happen during the New Moon phase.  Not every new moon will bring on an eclipse as we all know.  

2. The Sun, Moon and Earth must be in perfect line for this to happen.  The moon has to be directly between the earth and the sun. An event such as this one is pretty rare. 

3. Similar total Eclispes generally happen about every 18 years. 

4. If you are in the right place at the right time with weather permitting, you may see some very bright stars and colors  but you will want to be in the Centre Line to get the most of it. That means being in the direct line/path of the sun. 

5. This particular Total Eclipse will be best seen from Nothern Oregon, IE Salem and Portland. It is estimated to start around 10:15am PT and it will last aproximately  1 minute and 58 seconds. 

6. What will happen is a complete shadow on the Earth that may make some things look much different than they would if you are only shadowed by say a tree or what have you. Just as the moon has covered the sun 3/4, you will see sharper and more defined shadows.   The reason is that the Sun’s disk is shrinking, literally approaching a point, and a smaller light source produces better-defined shadows.

7. It will be seen best in the following Cities and the percentage rates of seeing it in its entirety.

Nashville will have the longest time of darkeness lasting about 2+ full minutes.

Atlanta 97 percent

Boston 63 percent

Chicago 87 percent

Cincinnati 91 percent

Dallas 76 percent

Denver 92 percent

Detroit 79 percent

Houston 67 percent

Indianapolis 91 percent

Las Vegas 72 percent

Los Angeles 62 percent

Memphis 93 percent

Miami 78 percent

Milwaukee 83 percent

Minneapolis 83 percent

New Orleans 75 percent

New York City 72 percent

Oklahoma City 84 percent

Philadelphia 75 percent

Phoenix 63 percent

Pittsburgh 81 percent

Portland 99 percent

Salt Lake City 91 percent

Seattle 92 percent

Washington, D.C. 81 percent 

As you can see, the highest percentage is in Oregon. 

I am hoping to be there with my camera to get the best shots I can to share with everyone. Weather permitting lol.

Hope this little bit of info helps you all to get the best view of this spectacular event.