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Where to watch the Solar Eclipse in the United States (Map)

By Adam Strangis

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 11: A pair of free solar eclipse glasses sit on display at a Warby Parker store on August 11, 2017 in New York City. To view the upcoming total solar eclipse on August 21 eye protection is essential. The designer eyeglass store expects to give out thousands of pairs of the glasses before the event. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 11: A pair of free solar eclipse glasses sit on display at a Warby Parker store on August 11, 2017 in New York City. To view the upcoming total solar eclipse on August 21 eye protection is essential. The designer eyeglass store expects to give out thousands of pairs of the glasses before the event. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) /
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The solar eclipse happens in one week. Are you in one of the best locations to view it?

Aug. 21 is going to provide a great opportunity to see a rare sight in nature. A partial solar eclipse will be visible from almost anywhere in the United States. However, there’s a path that crosses the USA that will see a total eclipse.

Only 12 states are on the path in 2017. These states include Oregon, Idaho, Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Even if you live in one of these states, you have a limited time to see it. At maximum, you’ll have around two minutes to experience the total eclipse.

The NASA website provides an excellent information guide to all facets of the eclipse. In addition, another good resource is https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/ as they break down the map state by state. It gives you great information about the best spots to try and see it if you’re lucky enough to be in one of the 12 states.

This solar eclipse is a very big deal because it’s unusual for it to be so widely seen. Look at this from the NASA website

"The last total solar eclipse viewed from contiguous United States was on Feb. 26, 1979 whose path passed through the northwestern U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. After the August 2017 total solar eclipse, the next annular solar eclipse that can be seen in the continental United States will be on October 14, 2023 which will be visible from Northern California to Florida. Following this, we will have a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 visible from Texas to Maine."

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Next Monday will be a fun chance to see an event that only comes around so often. Hopefully, you can find a way to be in the path of totality if you live close enough.