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| Total solar eclipse 2017: America gets first glimpse of totality – live! | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 6.48pm BST | |
| 18:48 | |
| This blog is now being brought to you from the American Museum of Natural History. They were giving away free eclipse glasses. | |
| I can report that a partial eclipse is in process. It looks like a pancake that someone has taken a very neat bite out of. Or like a cookie that someone has taken a very neat bite out of. | |
| The Museum of Natural History is one of a number of places in New York City that were holding viewing events, and predictably it is packed. I’m sitting behind two children wearing ‘Nasa’ t-shirts, which seems appropriate. | |
| Eclipse glasses 😎 pic.twitter.com/QILrgnPcxz | |
| A man next to me is talking about how everyone here will be dead in one hundred years. I was concerned it might upset the children in the Nasa t-shirts, but they are playing Angry Birds on an iPhone 4 and don’t seem to be listening. | |
| In other eclipse news: | |
| id say theres about a 50% chance this happens later pic.twitter.com/dQ1zqZWxqv | |
| 6.41pm BST | |
| 18:41 | |
| 6.36pm BST | |
| 18:36 | |
| While the moon begins to reveal the sun in Oregon, a total eclipse has just formed in Idaho Falls. | |
| “It just got dark all around us and you can feel the temperature getting colder,” says one of the presenters on Nasa’s live stream. | |
| There’s a lot of cheering. A scientist, whose name I didn’t hear, is very excited. | |
| “Look at the ray structure,” he says. | |
| “You can’t get that on film. There’s Venus. There’s Venus. Oh wow. Wow. Look at that ray structure.” | |
| The street lights came on in Idaho Falls Idaho #eclipse2017 pic.twitter.com/6K2l7dgBfs | |
| 6.29pm BST | |
| 18:29 | |
| Total eclipse in Madras, Oregon | |
| Here she is. This is the total eclipse in Madras, Oregon at 10.21am local time – 1.21pm ET. | |
| Updated | |
| at 6.36pm BST | |
| 6.23pm BST | |
| 18:23 | |
| First glimpse of #SolarEclipse2017 totality in Oregon! Take a look here and watch our live stream for more: https://t.co/cOKssim1bY pic.twitter.com/g9zEbWFXfk | |
| 6.22pm BST | |
| 18:22 | |
| Totality achieved in Oregon! | |
| Totality has reached the mainland in Oregon. What an incredible moment. Pictures to follow, and you can watch the live stream above. | |
| Updated | |
| at 6.33pm BST | |
| 6.01pm BST | 6.01pm BST |
| 18:01 | 18:01 |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 6.06pm BST | at 6.06pm BST |
| 5.34pm BST | 5.34pm BST |
| 17:34 | 17:34 |
| It’s all happening! | It’s all happening! |
| The live stream at the top of our page shows the moon slowly edging across the sun. It’s a majestic sight. Like a big black disc moving in front of a big white disc. | The live stream at the top of our page shows the moon slowly edging across the sun. It’s a majestic sight. Like a big black disc moving in front of a big white disc. |
| Or like waking up in the middle of surgery and the doctor’s head is looming over you, partially blocking out the light. | Or like waking up in the middle of surgery and the doctor’s head is looming over you, partially blocking out the light. |
| HERE WE GO! Here's the view from Oregon. Watch LIVE with us on Facebook» https://t.co/zqqrJn0biZ #Eclipse2017 #Eclipse pic.twitter.com/2XumoFoEzd | HERE WE GO! Here's the view from Oregon. Watch LIVE with us on Facebook» https://t.co/zqqrJn0biZ #Eclipse2017 #Eclipse pic.twitter.com/2XumoFoEzd |
| The transit is starting to begin in Oregon. Watch the #eclipse live on Facebook: https://t.co/ytNk9D4G5J pic.twitter.com/kpuGSrhqqH | The transit is starting to begin in Oregon. Watch the #eclipse live on Facebook: https://t.co/ytNk9D4G5J pic.twitter.com/kpuGSrhqqH |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.45pm BST | at 5.45pm BST |
| 5.30pm BST | 5.30pm BST |
| 17:30 | 17:30 |
| Donald Trump, the president of the USA, will be among those watching the eclipse today. Trump, a 71-year-old former builder, will be watching from the White House, where he will experience 81.1% of an eclipse at 2.42pm. | Donald Trump, the president of the USA, will be among those watching the eclipse today. Trump, a 71-year-old former builder, will be watching from the White House, where he will experience 81.1% of an eclipse at 2.42pm. |
| The Guardian’s political reporter Ben Jacobs has this: | The Guardian’s political reporter Ben Jacobs has this: |
| The White House announced Monday afternoon that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will watch the eclipse from the Truman Balcony which overlooks the South Lawn of the White House. It’s the second eclipse viewing event held by the administration today. Vice President Mike Pence had already been scheduled to participate in “a Great American Solar Eclipse viewing event” with charter school students at his residence at the Naval Observatory. | The White House announced Monday afternoon that President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will watch the eclipse from the Truman Balcony which overlooks the South Lawn of the White House. It’s the second eclipse viewing event held by the administration today. Vice President Mike Pence had already been scheduled to participate in “a Great American Solar Eclipse viewing event” with charter school students at his residence at the Naval Observatory. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.31pm BST | at 5.31pm BST |
| 5.10pm BST | 5.10pm BST |
| 17:10 | 17:10 |
| Some timings | Some timings |
| As mentioned earlier, Yaquina Head, in Oregon, will be the first place to see the total eclipse. That’ll be at 1.15pm ET, 10.15pm PT. | As mentioned earlier, Yaquina Head, in Oregon, will be the first place to see the total eclipse. That’ll be at 1.15pm ET, 10.15pm PT. |
| Idaho Falls, Idaho, will experience the total eclipse at 1.33pm ET, while in Nashville, Tennessee, the sun will be | Idaho Falls, Idaho, will experience the total eclipse at 1.33pm ET, while in Nashville, Tennessee, the sun will be |
| eaten by a dragon | eaten by a dragon |
| blocked by the moon at 2.28pm ET. | blocked by the moon at 2.28pm ET. |
| Charleston, South Carolina, will be one of the last places to see a full eclipse, at 2.47pm. | Charleston, South Carolina, will be one of the last places to see a full eclipse, at 2.47pm. |
| The Verge has a really cool interactive which lets you enter your zip code to find out when the eclipse will occur. (And how much the sun will be obscured.) | The Verge has a really cool interactive which lets you enter your zip code to find out when the eclipse will occur. (And how much the sun will be obscured.) |
| Here at the Guardian office in New York the sun will be 71.4% obscured at 2.44pm ET. | Here at the Guardian office in New York the sun will be 71.4% obscured at 2.44pm ET. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.12pm BST | at 5.12pm BST |
| 4.35pm BST | 4.35pm BST |
| 16:35 | 16:35 |
| Bonnie Tyler... | Bonnie Tyler... |
| ... will be performing her song Total Eclipse of the Heart during the total eclipse of the sun. | ... will be performing her song Total Eclipse of the Heart during the total eclipse of the sun. |
| Tyler will be doing so on a Royal Caribbean ‘eclipse cruise’. The cruise liner’s press department is not underselling the experience: “Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas will be the only place on earth where you can see songstress Bonnie Tyler and DNCE perform a never-before-heard duet of the iconic 80s power ballad Total Eclipse of the Heart.” | Tyler will be doing so on a Royal Caribbean ‘eclipse cruise’. The cruise liner’s press department is not underselling the experience: “Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas will be the only place on earth where you can see songstress Bonnie Tyler and DNCE perform a never-before-heard duet of the iconic 80s power ballad Total Eclipse of the Heart.” |
| DNCE are best known for their song Cake by the Ocean, which is about eating cake by the ocean. | DNCE are best known for their song Cake by the Ocean, which is about eating cake by the ocean. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.10pm BST | at 5.10pm BST |
| 4.13pm BST | 4.13pm BST |
| 16:13 | 16:13 |
| Eclipses in days of yore | Eclipses in days of yore |
| In Ancient China, people thought that an eclipse was a dragon eating the sun. | In Ancient China, people thought that an eclipse was a dragon eating the sun. |
| In Vietnam, people though it was a frog that was eating the sun. In Yugoslavia it was a werewolf, and in Siberia a vampire. | In Vietnam, people though it was a frog that was eating the sun. In Yugoslavia it was a werewolf, and in Siberia a vampire. |
| Vox has a fantastic article on how people once interpreted solar eclipses, which also serves as a lesson in ancient civilizations. | Vox has a fantastic article on how people once interpreted solar eclipses, which also serves as a lesson in ancient civilizations. |
| Not all cultures believed the sun was being eaten. Others attributed its disappearance to angry gods. | Not all cultures believed the sun was being eaten. Others attributed its disappearance to angry gods. |
| The Aztecs certainly did. To appease those gods, they performed human sacrifices. It’s unclear if it worked. | The Aztecs certainly did. To appease those gods, they performed human sacrifices. It’s unclear if it worked. |
| The Greeks – always so sophisticated – thought an eclipse meant that gods were about to punish a king, according to Vox: | The Greeks – always so sophisticated – thought an eclipse meant that gods were about to punish a king, according to Vox: |
| So in the days before an eclipse, they would choose prisoners or peasants to stand in as the king in the hopes that they’d get the eclipse punishment and the real king would be saved. Once the eclipse was over, the substitute king was executed. | So in the days before an eclipse, they would choose prisoners or peasants to stand in as the king in the hopes that they’d get the eclipse punishment and the real king would be saved. Once the eclipse was over, the substitute king was executed. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.46pm BST | at 4.46pm BST |
| 3.56pm BST | 3.56pm BST |
| 15:56 | 15:56 |
| Millions of people are traveling to the path of the total eclipse. | Millions of people are traveling to the path of the total eclipse. |
| If you’re one of them, we’d love to hear from you. | If you’re one of them, we’d love to hear from you. |
| You can share your pictures and videos by clicking on the blue “Contribute” button on this article. You can also use the Guardian app and search for “GuardianWitness assignments”. | You can share your pictures and videos by clicking on the blue “Contribute” button on this article. You can also use the Guardian app and search for “GuardianWitness assignments”. |
| We’ll post the images on this blog. | We’ll post the images on this blog. |
| 3.47pm BST | 3.47pm BST |
| 15:47 | 15:47 |
| Mike Seely, who is flying on board a plane today in order to view the solar eclipse from the air, speaks to a former firefighter taking the same flight. | Mike Seely, who is flying on board a plane today in order to view the solar eclipse from the air, speaks to a former firefighter taking the same flight. |
| As a high-schooler growing up in White Plains, New York, Dennis Cassia and a couple of friends ventured to North Carolina to take in their first full solar eclipse. | As a high-schooler growing up in White Plains, New York, Dennis Cassia and a couple of friends ventured to North Carolina to take in their first full solar eclipse. |
| “It was so spectacular that I kind of got the bug,” says Cassia, a 65-year-old retired firefighter and high school science teacher who now lives in Monroe, Connecticut. | “It was so spectacular that I kind of got the bug,” says Cassia, a 65-year-old retired firefighter and high school science teacher who now lives in Monroe, Connecticut. |
| Since that inaugural, intoxicating experience, Cassia has ventured as far away as Africa and Antigua to witness total eclipses from the ground. But on Monday, he’ll be high in the skies. | Since that inaugural, intoxicating experience, Cassia has ventured as far away as Africa and Antigua to witness total eclipses from the ground. But on Monday, he’ll be high in the skies. |
| “Short of a hurricane or something, I’m not going to have to worry about the weather like everyone else,” he says. | “Short of a hurricane or something, I’m not going to have to worry about the weather like everyone else,” he says. |
| “I have friends across the United States who are shooting the dice. At 36,000 feet, you’re probably not going to have any clouds, and they can divert if they have. Also, I’m going to be able to see the umbra [the dark shadow of the total eclipse] as it approaches — and probably on the ocean as we fly into it. You can’t see that from the ground; from there, it just looks like a thunderstorm is coming and then a shadow.” | “I have friends across the United States who are shooting the dice. At 36,000 feet, you’re probably not going to have any clouds, and they can divert if they have. Also, I’m going to be able to see the umbra [the dark shadow of the total eclipse] as it approaches — and probably on the ocean as we fly into it. You can’t see that from the ground; from there, it just looks like a thunderstorm is coming and then a shadow.” |
| But for Cassia, a total eclipse is about more than the view. He says something primal — and, in some cases, spiritual — washes over mammals as the moon obscures the sun. | But for Cassia, a total eclipse is about more than the view. He says something primal — and, in some cases, spiritual — washes over mammals as the moon obscures the sun. |
| “You find out, during a total eclipse, just how in tune with nature you are,” he says. “Your body tells you something isn’t right. It looks like a sunset, but the sunset is 360 degrees. You get the colors of the sunset, but it’s the whole horizon. Insects behave differently; animals behave differently. Cows go down on their haunches. Then totality hits and you’re immersed in this darkness. | “You find out, during a total eclipse, just how in tune with nature you are,” he says. “Your body tells you something isn’t right. It looks like a sunset, but the sunset is 360 degrees. You get the colors of the sunset, but it’s the whole horizon. Insects behave differently; animals behave differently. Cows go down on their haunches. Then totality hits and you’re immersed in this darkness. |
| “I’ve seen people get on their knees and pray,” he continues. “I’ve seen scientists cry. All of a sudden, you realize, ‘Man, I’m part of this and I have instincts that I never, ever feel. I’m part of nature.’ Why do people go around the world to chase eclipses? It’s the only event that’s going to leave you totally awestruck.” | “I’ve seen people get on their knees and pray,” he continues. “I’ve seen scientists cry. All of a sudden, you realize, ‘Man, I’m part of this and I have instincts that I never, ever feel. I’m part of nature.’ Why do people go around the world to chase eclipses? It’s the only event that’s going to leave you totally awestruck.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.49pm BST | at 3.49pm BST |
| 3.37pm BST | 3.37pm BST |
| 15:37 | 15:37 |
| The last solar eclipse in the US was on February 26 1979. | The last solar eclipse in the US was on February 26 1979. |
| The US and China had recently established full diplomatic relations, and the Pittsburgh Steelers had just won Super Bowl XIII. | The US and China had recently established full diplomatic relations, and the Pittsburgh Steelers had just won Super Bowl XIII. |
| Jimmy Carter was president, and just two months later he would be attacked by a swamp rabbit while fishing in Plains, Georgia. | Jimmy Carter was president, and just two months later he would be attacked by a swamp rabbit while fishing in Plains, Georgia. |
| Here’s how Walter Cronkite covered the eclipse for CBS News. | Here’s how Walter Cronkite covered the eclipse for CBS News. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.39pm BST | at 3.39pm BST |
| 3.16pm BST | 3.16pm BST |
| 15:16 | 15:16 |
| But what about my eyes? | But what about my eyes? |
| Good question! If you are planning to experience today’s solar obfuscation, then do not look directly at the sun. It will blast your retinas. | Good question! If you are planning to experience today’s solar obfuscation, then do not look directly at the sun. It will blast your retinas. |
| While it is actually safe to look at the sun during the total phase of the eclipse, this only lasts about two minutes – and this only applies to the slim band of America that is experiencing a total eclipse. | While it is actually safe to look at the sun during the total phase of the eclipse, this only lasts about two minutes – and this only applies to the slim band of America that is experiencing a total eclipse. |
| Most of us won’t see that. In New York City, for example, the peak of the eclipse will be at 2.44pm. But only 70% of the sun will be obscured. Which means looking at the sun is as dangerous as usual. | Most of us won’t see that. In New York City, for example, the peak of the eclipse will be at 2.44pm. But only 70% of the sun will be obscured. Which means looking at the sun is as dangerous as usual. |
| According to Nasa the only truly safe way to experience the eclipse is through “special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or hand-held solar viewers”. No sunglasses, Nasa says. Not even if they’re really expensive ones. | According to Nasa the only truly safe way to experience the eclipse is through “special-purpose solar filters, such as “eclipse glasses” or hand-held solar viewers”. No sunglasses, Nasa says. Not even if they’re really expensive ones. |
| The Washington Post has a list of all the places selling eclipse glasses – you know the ones, they look like something you’d get in a cereal box – and some local libraries are also stocking them. | The Washington Post has a list of all the places selling eclipse glasses – you know the ones, they look like something you’d get in a cereal box – and some local libraries are also stocking them. |
| If the worst comes to the worst, or if you’re into crafting, it’s possible to make yourself a pinhole projector. All that’s required is two bits of paper. Or a shoebox, depending how much you want to get into it. Here’s a video from KNKX public radio. | If the worst comes to the worst, or if you’re into crafting, it’s possible to make yourself a pinhole projector. All that’s required is two bits of paper. Or a shoebox, depending how much you want to get into it. Here’s a video from KNKX public radio. |
| Oh, and ArsTechnica has a terrifying article: “Here’s what happens to your retina if you view an eclipse without protection”, which, er.. explains what happens to your retina if you view an eclipse without protection. | Oh, and ArsTechnica has a terrifying article: “Here’s what happens to your retina if you view an eclipse without protection”, which, er.. explains what happens to your retina if you view an eclipse without protection. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.53pm BST | at 3.53pm BST |
| 3.02pm BST | 3.02pm BST |
| 15:02 | 15:02 |
| The Guardian’s Mike Seely will be watching the eclipse from something of a unique perspective – from 36,000 feet, watching from an Alaska Airways chartered flight, which will head out to sea in order to view the eclipse from the air. | The Guardian’s Mike Seely will be watching the eclipse from something of a unique perspective – from 36,000 feet, watching from an Alaska Airways chartered flight, which will head out to sea in order to view the eclipse from the air. |
| A chartered flight will take off from Portland International Airport in Oregon on Monday, its destination ... Portland International Airport, but only after it travels about 1,000 miles off the Oregon coast at a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet, where, at approximately 10 am PT (1pm ET), the passengers aboard this flight will get perhaps the inaugural glimpse at the first full solar eclipse to cross the contiguous United States since 1979. | A chartered flight will take off from Portland International Airport in Oregon on Monday, its destination ... Portland International Airport, but only after it travels about 1,000 miles off the Oregon coast at a cruising altitude of 36,000 feet, where, at approximately 10 am PT (1pm ET), the passengers aboard this flight will get perhaps the inaugural glimpse at the first full solar eclipse to cross the contiguous United States since 1979. |
| Joe Rao will be among several astronomy enthusiasts and eclipse geeks aboard this flight. He’s also the person largely responsible for the plane hovering in the air in the first place. | Joe Rao will be among several astronomy enthusiasts and eclipse geeks aboard this flight. He’s also the person largely responsible for the plane hovering in the air in the first place. |
| Back in 2015, Rao, a New York-based meteorologist and Hayden Planetarium instructor, realized that a full solar eclipse that would be visible from the ground in Indonesia in March 2016 would also pass about 700 miles north of Honolulu, Hawaii, before falling off the surface of the Earth. | Back in 2015, Rao, a New York-based meteorologist and Hayden Planetarium instructor, realized that a full solar eclipse that would be visible from the ground in Indonesia in March 2016 would also pass about 700 miles north of Honolulu, Hawaii, before falling off the surface of the Earth. |
| “It gave me the idea that maybe if there was a commercial flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Honolulu, you’d get the eclipse on the flight,” says Rao, who soon discovered that Alaska Airlines’ Flight 870 flew daily from Anchorage to Honolulu. | “It gave me the idea that maybe if there was a commercial flight from Anchorage, Alaska, to Honolulu, you’d get the eclipse on the flight,” says Rao, who soon discovered that Alaska Airlines’ Flight 870 flew daily from Anchorage to Honolulu. |
| The problem with this flight was its departure time of 1.30pm. By Rao’s calculations, the only way its passengers would be able to observe the eclipse in totality would be for the flight to leave half an hour later. | The problem with this flight was its departure time of 1.30pm. By Rao’s calculations, the only way its passengers would be able to observe the eclipse in totality would be for the flight to leave half an hour later. |
| When Rao approached Alaska with his idea to delay the flight for science’s sake, they initially balked, wary of their regular travelers objecting to their flight being intentionally delayed. But Rao eventually won over Alaska’s brass, and was among a dozen or so enthusiasts who were aboard the flight as it passed the sun-obscuring moon. | When Rao approached Alaska with his idea to delay the flight for science’s sake, they initially balked, wary of their regular travelers objecting to their flight being intentionally delayed. But Rao eventually won over Alaska’s brass, and was among a dozen or so enthusiasts who were aboard the flight as it passed the sun-obscuring moon. |
| A YouTube video of Rao and his comrades going berserk at the moment of totality went viral, and this year the airline approached him about helping to organize the current charter voyage. | A YouTube video of Rao and his comrades going berserk at the moment of totality went viral, and this year the airline approached him about helping to organize the current charter voyage. |
| Rao has traveled the globe to take in 11 full eclipses prior to this one; he advises first-time viewers to “drink it all in,” don’t take any photographs, and eschew all gadgetry, especially iPhones. Paraphrasing Jay Leno’s summation of his first time hosting The Tonight Show, Rao says, “It’s like your first girlfriend: It doesn’t go very well, it’s over in a flash, and when it’s over, all you want to do is do it again.” | Rao has traveled the globe to take in 11 full eclipses prior to this one; he advises first-time viewers to “drink it all in,” don’t take any photographs, and eschew all gadgetry, especially iPhones. Paraphrasing Jay Leno’s summation of his first time hosting The Tonight Show, Rao says, “It’s like your first girlfriend: It doesn’t go very well, it’s over in a flash, and when it’s over, all you want to do is do it again.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.05pm BST | at 3.05pm BST |
| 2.58pm BST | 2.58pm BST |
| 14:58 | 14:58 |
| When and how to watch | When and how to watch |
| Most of the US will see some sort of eclipse which – weather permitting – will be a sight in itself. But to see the full, total, 100% eclipse the best option will be through video. | Most of the US will see some sort of eclipse which – weather permitting – will be a sight in itself. But to see the full, total, 100% eclipse the best option will be through video. |
| Nasa goes mad for this stuff – “a solar eclipse is one of nature’s grandest spectacles”, its website says – and the space agency will be livestreaming the eclipse on its website. That starts at 12pm ET. | Nasa goes mad for this stuff – “a solar eclipse is one of nature’s grandest spectacles”, its website says – and the space agency will be livestreaming the eclipse on its website. That starts at 12pm ET. |
| You can also watch on Facebook Live, YouTube and Twitter. | You can also watch on Facebook Live, YouTube and Twitter. |
| Most of the main television channels are also carrying it. NBC, ABC and CBS will be hosting special reports from 1-3pm ET. | Most of the main television channels are also carrying it. NBC, ABC and CBS will be hosting special reports from 1-3pm ET. |
| The Weather Channel has also teamed up with Twitter to livestream the event – that also starts at 12pm. So pick your poison. | The Weather Channel has also teamed up with Twitter to livestream the event – that also starts at 12pm. So pick your poison. |
| Celebrate Monday's #Eclipse2017 with a new @Twitter hashtag emoji of totality, when the Moon blocks the Sun: https://t.co/Gl0JYISHDy pic.twitter.com/soo8IkehdY | Celebrate Monday's #Eclipse2017 with a new @Twitter hashtag emoji of totality, when the Moon blocks the Sun: https://t.co/Gl0JYISHDy pic.twitter.com/soo8IkehdY |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.52pm BST | at 3.52pm BST |
| 2.33pm BST | 2.33pm BST |
| 14:33 | 14:33 |
| Hello and welcome | Hello and welcome |
| Good morning and welcome to Total Solar Eclipse Day. We’ll be bringing you up-to-the minute celestial news as the moon passes between the sun and the earth, shrouding some parts of the US in darkness. | Good morning and welcome to Total Solar Eclipse Day. We’ll be bringing you up-to-the minute celestial news as the moon passes between the sun and the earth, shrouding some parts of the US in darkness. |
| The total eclipse – meaning the sun is completely obscured – will pass through 14 states, beginning on the west coast in Oregon and bidding us farewell in South Carolina. Other states will experience a partial eclipse, as will some countries in Europe, Africa and Central America, but full darkness will be restricted to a band across the middle of the US. | The total eclipse – meaning the sun is completely obscured – will pass through 14 states, beginning on the west coast in Oregon and bidding us farewell in South Carolina. Other states will experience a partial eclipse, as will some countries in Europe, Africa and Central America, but full darkness will be restricted to a band across the middle of the US. |
| Yaquina Head, a rocky outcrop that juts into the Pacific about 80 miles south-west of Oregon, will be one of the first places to experience the eclipse. A partial eclipse will begin there just after 12pm ET/9am PT, and they’ll get the full version at 1.15pm ET. | Yaquina Head, a rocky outcrop that juts into the Pacific about 80 miles south-west of Oregon, will be one of the first places to experience the eclipse. A partial eclipse will begin there just after 12pm ET/9am PT, and they’ll get the full version at 1.15pm ET. |
| It’s only going to take about an hour and a half for the eclipse to travel across the country, and from any given location in its path people will only be able to see the sun be obscured for two and a half minutes. | It’s only going to take about an hour and a half for the eclipse to travel across the country, and from any given location in its path people will only be able to see the sun be obscured for two and a half minutes. |
| What’s more: the last time there was a total solar eclipse in the contiguous US was in February 1979, and the next one – assuming the US is still here – will be in 2024. | What’s more: the last time there was a total solar eclipse in the contiguous US was in February 1979, and the next one – assuming the US is still here – will be in 2024. |
| But don’t worry. You can follow all eclipse developments – right here. We’ve got correspondents in Oregon, in South Carolina and one person on a plane above the Pacific. | But don’t worry. You can follow all eclipse developments – right here. We’ve got correspondents in Oregon, in South Carolina and one person on a plane above the Pacific. |
| Let the eclipse begin! | Let the eclipse begin! |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 3.55pm BST | at 3.55pm BST |