Total Solar Eclipse in North America on Monday

Environment | August 21, 2017, Monday // 09:23|  views

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On Monday, the sun will disappear - for a short time - across America, reported CNN. 

For a brief moment, day will turn to night. Animals big and small will go into their nighttime routines. Stars and planets will be visible, and streetlights will turn on in the middle of the day.

According to NASA, experiencing a total solar eclipse where you live happens about once in 375 years. So, unless modern medicine advances considerably in the next few years, you might not make it to the next one.

The last time anyone in the United States witnessed a total solar eclipse was almost 40 years ago, on February 26, 1979. It's been even longer - 99 years - since a total solar eclipse crossed the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The total eclipse on June 8, 1918, passed from Washington to Florida.

During a total solar eclipse, the moon and the sun both appear to be about the same size from the ground. According to NASA, this is a "celestial coincidence," as the sun is about 400 times wider than the moon and about 400 times farther away.

Then, it is just basic geometry. When the Earth, moon and sun line up just right, the moon blocks the sun's entire surface, creating the total eclipse.

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Tags: Earth, Atlantic, Pacific, north america, NASA, total eclipse

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