What time is the Solar Eclipse, where it will be visible, and how you can watch it in person or via a live stream, whether you’re in the UK or the US.
On Monday the US will experience the first total solar eclipse in 99 years, with a partial solar eclipse also visible from parts of the UK.
The solar eclipse will take place on Monday 21 August 2017.
The phenomenon will begin at 9.05am PDT in Salem, Oregon, reaching totality at 10.17am PDT. In Columbia, South Carolina the partial eclipse will begin at 1.13pm EDT and reach totality at 2.41pm EDT.
The Total Solar Eclipse will be viewable only in North America, though here in the UK we should be able to see a partial eclipse in areas in which there is no cloud between 7.30pm and 8.30pm.
If you’ re not in an area in which the total eclipse is viewable, you’ ll be able to follow the live stream that takes place between 12 noon and 4pm EDT (in the UK that’s 5pm and 9pm BST) . The stream is embedded at the top of this page.
NASA’s Facebook page will also offer a 4K, 360 live stream of the solar eclipse from Charleston, South Carolina. This stream will be live between 1.15pm and 4.15pm with totality occurring at 2.45pm ET.
Areas within the path of totality – a circa-70 mile-wide stretch between Salem, Oregon and Charleston, South Carolina, which includes Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia – will be able to view a total solar eclipse.
The path of totality is illustrated below.
NASA recommends that you will need a pair of Eclipse glasses (not sunglasses) – a selection is available via Amazon (and Amazon UK) – or a pinhole projector. You can make your own using the templates provided at NASA’s site.
The glasses or projector should be used at all times except totality.
A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun, completely blocking our view of it.
In the last few seconds before it reaches totality you can see a Diamond Ring, which is just the sun’s outer edge shining through. Following this is Baily’s Beads, whereby only valleys on the moon’s surface allow sunlight to escape.
When totality occurs darkness falls on earth. This may last under a minute – the longest total eclipse will occur is near Carbonade, Illinois, where it will last 2 minutes 40 seconds.
When the moon begins to pass by the sun you will see a crescent shape.
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