What time is the solar eclipse 2017 TODAY? How to view the eclipse across USA
A SOLAR eclipse will block out the sun across the United States today. But when is the eclipse and how can you watch it?
America expected to see Total Solar Eclipse in 2017
The solar eclipse, dubbed the Great American Total Solar Eclipse, has started making its way across the United States.
The moon will completely obstruct the sun along a 70-mile path of totality, stretching all the way from Oregon to North Carolina.
NASA have confirmed the eclipse's path will stretch from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina. Observers outside this path will still see a partial solar eclipse.
The eclipse will be seen from Salem, famed for the infamous witch trials and uncovering 'dark magic' first.
The skies will darken, temperatures will drop and Americans will be able to see the solar corona – the sun’s hazy aura which is usually invisible to the naked eye.
The eclipse will last two minutes and 40 seconds for those watching from the path of totality, getting gradually shorter the further away from the centre you stand.
It will be the first total solar eclipse in 99 years to cross coast-to-coast and the first to pass through any part of the lower 48 states in 38 years.
"It brings people to tears," Rick Fienberg, of the American Astronomical Society, told Space.com. "It makes people's jaw drop."
The map below shows which states the path of totality will cross.
According to NASA, the first point of contact will be at Lincoln Beach in Oregon at 9.05am PDT, with totality beginning at 10.16am.
The eclipse will then move southeast across the US, finishing near Charleston, South Carolina at 2.48pm EDT.
Solar eclipse: Nasa map showing the path of the eclipse
What time is the solar eclipse in America?
The time of the eclipse depends on location with those in the west experiencing the eclipse in the morning and those in east seeing it in the afternoon.
The chart below outlines the start times for the major cities close to the centre of the path. Data provided by NASA (all local times).
NASA has also created an interactive map showing the path of the eclipse and the times that it will be visible.
Eclipse begins | Totality begins | Totality ends | Eclipse ends | ||
Madras, OR | 09:06 a.m. | 10:19 a.m. | 10:21 a.m. | 11:41 a.m. | PDT |
Idaho Falls, ID | 10:15 a.m. | 11:33 a.m. | 11:34 a.m. | 12:58 p.m. | MDT |
Casper, WY | 10:22 a.m. | 11:42 a.m. | 11:45 a.m. | 01:09 p.m. | MDT |
Lincoln, NE | 11:37 a.m. | 01:02 p.m. | 01:04 p.m. | 02:29 p.m. | CDT |
Jefferson City, MO | 11:46 a.m. | 01:13 p.m. | 01:15 p.m. | 02:41 p.m. | CDT |
Carbondale, IL | 11:52 a.m. | 01:20 p.m. | 01:22 p.m. | 02:47 p.m. | CDT |
Paducah, KY | 11:54 a.m. | 01:22 p.m. | 01:24 p.m. | 02:49 p.m. | CDT |
Nashville, TN | 11:58 a.m. | 01:27 p.m. | 01:29 p.m. | 02:54 p.m. | CDT |
Clayton, GA | 01:06 p.m. | 02:35 p.m. | 02:38 p.m. | 04:01 p.m. | EDT |
Columbia, SC | 01:03 p.m. | 02:41 p.m. | 02:44 p.m. | 04:06 p.m. | EDT |
How to watch the solar eclipse safely
In order to watch the eclipse safely, Americans will need to equip themselves with a ISO-certified eclipse glasses or a pinhole camera.
Eclipse glasses are designed to protect the eyes from the sun’s dazzling rays. The special glasses are about 100,000 times darker than normal sunglasses, which let in between 10 and 20 percent of daylight.
Only those who are in the path of totality can safely remove their glasses during the eclipse.
Mr Fienberg said: ”In fact, if you keep your filters on during totality, you won't see anything.”
Eclipse glasses are readily available and inexpensive. A pack of five pairs can be bought for as little as $10.
NASA have created the live stream below for those who aren't able to watch the eclipse in person.
The total solar eclipse with block out the sun across the United States
Upcoming solar eclipses visible from the US
Annular solar eclipse: October 14, 2023 - Visible from nine states
Total solar eclipse: April 8, 2024 - Visible from 12 states
Annular solar eclipse: March 30, 2033 - Visible from Nome, Alaska, Barrow and the Chukchi Peninsular
Total solar eclipse: August, 2045 - Visible from 10 states
The eclipse will be the first to cross the whole of the US for 99 years
Past solar eclipses visible from the US
Annular solar eclipse: May 20, 2012
Annular solar eclipse: May 10, 1994
Annular solar eclipse: January 4, 1992
Total solar eclipse: July 11, 1991