Story of this Aug 2017 Solar Eclipse

What, when where and how?

The first total solar eclipse in nearly 100 years is upon us.  Most of the mainland will see partial eclipse of 75% or more, with 14 states from Oregon to S Carolina are in the path of Totality (100%.)  Total eclipse will last about 2 1/2 minutes.

The shadow will touch the United States for only 1h 33m 16.8s - less than the length of a short movie.  But in that time, many, many people from coast to coast will have witnessed this once-in-a-lifetime event.  Of course, I plan to be there, in the path, together with a few hundred thousand other converts!  Look for the exact times here.

For approximately 90 minutes, the moon's shadow will sweep eastward across the U.S., from its first land contact in northwestern Oregon, to its last in southeastern South Carolina.  Viewers in southern Illinois will experience the maximum duration of totality along the shadow path, with the sun completely obscured by the moon for 2 minutes, 40 seconds.  However, weather prospects (based on historical data for the frequency of overcast skies in late August) indicate that the best chance of clear skies along the eclipse path are to be found in the Western U.S., specifically north-central Oregon (average cloud cover 34%), eastern Oregon (average cloud cover 35%-40%), eastern Idaho (average cloud cover 37%-43%), and central Wyoming (34%-50%).  Although the duration of totality will be somewhat shorter in the West, most experienced eclipse chasers will be opting for higher probabilities of clear skies over the "all or nothing" gamble of going to a site more likely to be clouded out in the hope of getting a few more seconds of totality.

IDAHO

Eastern Idaho (near Rexburg) and western Idaho (near Weiser) appear to offer the highest probability of clear skies within the state. However, statistics being what they are, the most prudent strategy would be to be as flexible as possible as to where you intend to travel based on forecasts in the days leading up to the eclipse.  If both eastern and western Idaho look equally good, eastern is preferable, since totality will last a few seconds longer there, and there is a more extensive road network to make it easier to relocate quickly to escape a small cloud blocking the sun at eclipse time.  Overnight accommodations along the entire path of totality have largely filled up.

WYOMING

Unfortunately, Yellowstone National Park lies just outside (above) the edge of totality! Otherwise, this wonderful, exhilarating landscape would have provided the perfect spot for viewing nature's most awesome spectacle, if only the moon had been positioned a little differently.  However, Yellowstone's loss is Grand Teton's gain; the boundary separating those two great parks is just about coincident with the Northern limit of the path! This makes the southern part of Grand Teton National Park one of the best places in the entire country to position yourself to view this event!  On the centerline, the Park will experience 2m 20s of totality at about 11:35am.  Weather permitting, this may just be "The Place To Be"....

Moving onward, the shadow blesses Pavillion (at 11:38), and Shoshoni and Riverton (at 11:39) with 2m 23s of the great show, before landing squarely on the city of Casper.  The centerline passes right over the intersection of highway 220 and S. Poplar Street at 11:42:34am, and gives viewers there 2m26s of totality!

Douglas, Glendo, Thermopolis, Lusk and Torrington round out the list of larger towns that experience totality. 

From S Carolina, the Moon's shadow continues on, out over the Atlantic Ocean, not to touch any more land before deftly lifting off the earth's surface near Africa about 75 minutes after it left the US.

Here is a schematic of how the moon will eclipse the sun in fast speed - https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4321