America welcomes its foreign visitors in taking its turn to host this universal spectacle! See a total solar eclipse in the mainland US! First total eclipse on American soil since 1991! First on the mainland since 1979! First to sweep across the entire country since 1918!
Eclipse2017.org is being established to provide information to news media, elected officials, school administrators and teachers, and the general public as to exactly how to view the magnificent total eclipse of the sun coming up in 2017! Maintained by Dan McGlaun (a veteran of six total solar eclipses), this site will grow to hopefully become one of the main places on the web to go for information and late breaking events!
Take the day off work / school / whatever! Get yourself into the path!
Animation of the shadow across the United States. The little black dot must pass directly over you, in order for you to see totality!
I would encourage everyone to please read all the information you can on this site first (especially "What is an Eclipse?"), so you can get a feel for what's going to happen. Other great information is contained on the links below. Truly, this is an event not to be missed, and it is my hope that every person - but especially every American - who is capable of getting into the path will enjoy this wonderful treat!
Information... ...for Educators, Public Officials, Media, and just everyone!
Over the next few years, we'll be posting information for school teachers and administrators, the media, and public officials, dealing with the logistics of handling the people who may be converging on your community to see the eclipse. Eclipse parties are definitely in order, and many communities will want to set up official viewing areas. We will help you do this, including contacting experts who might make themselves available for consulting, speeches, or educational opportunities in your community. You will find the eclipse-chasing community to be one of intelligent, down-to-earth, concerned individuals who will help you in any way they can, and will always be available for questions and suggestions! There is a lot of good information already out there on eclipses in general. Please see the links to learn more about eclipses, and then return here for more information specific to the 2017 eclipse!
The Path Animation courtesy of Andrew Sinclair Cities in the path - how much totality will you see? Cities not in the path - Get out! get to the path!!!! Description of the path's travels over the U.S. Where should you be? A state by state guide Animations and description of what you'll see and how to view What if you miss this one? Photographing the eclipse See what the eclipse will look like from selected locations If you read nothing else about the eclipse, please read this long rant, and check out the maps so you can see how close to your home the eclipse path comes. Let me explain. The basics of a total eclipse are that the moon goes in between the sun and the earth, and as the moon 'moves' across the face of the sun, its very thin shadow passes along a "path" on the ground. (This is represented by the little black dot in the animation above.) You have to be in that path in order to see the "total" eclipse. If you're outside it, you'll get to see a partial eclipse (boring!) -- and if you're just barely outside the path, you'll see a very deep partial eclipse -- but even that is not anything you'd even want to leave your desk at work to see! Go here to see an animation program we put together that shows what you can expect to see from various locations in the US. We cannot stress this enough - if you're in the path, you see what is perhaps one of the most phenomenal sights that human eyes can convey to a brain! If you're not in the path, even by only a mile or so (!!!!!), you will come away wondering what in the heck we even bothered to make this site for! And you will have completely missed the whole show. People fly to the remotest deserts, jungles, islands -- frozen, desolate, and mosquito-infested places - just to be in the path. So please, please, please: walk, run, fly, drive, hike, thumb, Segway or cycle yourself into the path on eclipse day, and you will not regret it! Miss it, and you'll have to wait till the next one (in 2024). Take it from us - do not think that you're "close enough" to the path to see something cool. Look at the maps, and if where you are isn't in the dark band (and as close to the blue centerline as possible), please please get yourself there by whatever means are necessary! Even if it's 300 miles or more! People will come from all over the world to see this grand spectacle, and you already live right here! You will thank us thousands of times over for having talked you into it, and you will thank whatever it is you believe in that you got to see what you saw while standing in the shadow. Take it from me - I've seen the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, Ayers Rock, the Blarney Stone (as I kissed it), the Berlin Wall, the West Edmonton Mall, the USS Arizona Memorial, my wife's face the first time she told me she loved me, the Panama Canal, Yellowstone, the North Pole, the Alps in Switzerland, the geysers in Iceland, the Eiffel tower, and my kids being born -- and I'm not kidding: A total eclipse is every bit the equal or superior to them all by far! Get thee to the path....
Cities in the path - how much totality will you see? Cities not in the path - Get out! get to the path!!!! Description of the path's travels over the U.S. Where should you be? A state by state guide Animations and description of what you'll see and how to view What if you miss this one? Photographing the eclipse
If you read nothing else about the eclipse, please read this long rant, and check out the maps so you can see how close to your home the eclipse path comes. Let me explain. The basics of a total eclipse are that the moon goes in between the sun and the earth, and as the moon 'moves' across the face of the sun, its very thin shadow passes along a "path" on the ground. (This is represented by the little black dot in the animation above.) You have to be in that path in order to see the "total" eclipse. If you're outside it, you'll get to see a partial eclipse (boring!) -- and if you're just barely outside the path, you'll see a very deep partial eclipse -- but even that is not anything you'd even want to leave your desk at work to see! Go here to see an animation program we put together that shows what you can expect to see from various locations in the US. We cannot stress this enough - if you're in the path, you see what is perhaps one of the most phenomenal sights that human eyes can convey to a brain! If you're not in the path, even by only a mile or so (!!!!!), you will come away wondering what in the heck we even bothered to make this site for! And you will have completely missed the whole show. People fly to the remotest deserts, jungles, islands -- frozen, desolate, and mosquito-infested places - just to be in the path. So please, please, please: walk, run, fly, drive, hike, thumb, Segway or cycle yourself into the path on eclipse day, and you will not regret it! Miss it, and you'll have to wait till the next one (in 2024). Take it from us - do not think that you're "close enough" to the path to see something cool. Look at the maps, and if where you are isn't in the dark band (and as close to the blue centerline as possible), please please get yourself there by whatever means are necessary! Even if it's 300 miles or more! People will come from all over the world to see this grand spectacle, and you already live right here! You will thank us thousands of times over for having talked you into it, and you will thank whatever it is you believe in that you got to see what you saw while standing in the shadow. Take it from me - I've seen the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls, Ayers Rock, the Blarney Stone (as I kissed it), the Berlin Wall, the West Edmonton Mall, the USS Arizona Memorial, my wife's face the first time she told me she loved me, the Panama Canal, Yellowstone, the North Pole, the Alps in Switzerland, the geysers in Iceland, the Eiffel tower, and my kids being born -- and I'm not kidding: A total eclipse is every bit the equal or superior to them all by far!
Get thee to the path....
Eclipse2017.org is soliciting pictures from anyone who wants to contribute -- of the small towns, burgs, hamlets, country roads, parks, lakes, etc., that are in the path. Check out one of the Google maps listed below in the Links, and send us pictures of your favorite spot in the path! We'll collect a coast-to-coast picture album of the entire path of totality! Anyone who wants to photograph or video the eclipse, and send it to us, will be eligible to have their eclipse put up on our site as part of a photo album of eclipse experiences! We also encourage you to contribute narratives, funny eclipse stories, reactions of people around you, etc, to serve as a collective scrapbook of eclipse memories from around the United States! And, after the great day, we'll put up the stories and pictures of your experience -- to share with everyone who will have missed this one, and will want to take part in 2024! I'll be collecting a series of reciprocal links to communities and other organizations who are promoting the eclipse on their sites. Please e-mail us if you'd like to be included in this list.
Yes, it's important that the weather co-operates -- if you can't see the sun, then you won't see the eclipse! It's important to watch the weather forecasts intently in the days before the eclipse. Eclipse chasers who travel around the world are sometimes stuck in the location they've chosen, and so they plan meticulously to seek out the most likely places where the weather will be clear. We have much more flexibility in travel here in the states, but you should still keep watch. I will attempt to post weather briefings here in the days leading up to the eclipse, but I will not be around to update anything the day before or the day of!
Go here to see the latest forecast of selected cities in the path. We are also offering archived satellite imagery from August 21, to show you what the weather looked like on "eclipse day" from previous years! Of course, this may have little to do with the actual weather we'll get on eclipse day, but it's still fun to look at!
Eclipse2017.org's goal for eclipse day is for everyone to watch the eclipse - simple as that! We plan to inform everyone -- school administrators, mayors, governors, radio and TV stations, members of Congress, DOT officials, local police agencies, immigration officials, and anyone else we can think of -- about the nature of this event, and assist in any way possible with planning, logistics, communications, etc., to make this a fun, enjoyable, and safe event for everyone. There will be a lot of effort involved on the local level to pull this off, and so, we'd like for anyone who feels they can help - through the volunteering of their time and talents - to contact us. Your help will be greatly appreciated! Examples of things you can do to help include letter-writing, serving as a local information liaison, web site design and maintenance, webcam/photo/video/webcast expertise, site scouting... The list is endless! Even if all you do is share the information you find here with someone else, your help will be vital in ensuring that everyone has a safe and fun three-day eclipse weekend! (That's right - the party starts Friday night, and goes straight through to Eclipse Monday!)
The beach in Oregon or South Carolina Grand Teton National Park Land Between the Lakes, KY Downtown Nashville, TN Any of the FIVE state capitals in the path Smoky Mountains Nat'l. Park The campus of BYU - Idaho (in Rexburg) Anywhere in the path of totality!
One of the best informational sites on the web about eclipses The official map of the 2017 eclipse from Mr. Eclipse himself, Fred Espenak of NASA A site to teach you about the geometry of eclipses, and what you'll see Read about eclipses on my own site (including stories of lots of my travels to see them!) A Google map of the 2017 eclipse path - see if it's total where you are! Xavier Jubier's Google map - Click on your location to get the local circumstances of the eclipse! Hermit eclipse's page about the 2017 eclipse Wikipedia article on the 2017 eclipse An animation of the eclipse path across the earth (this can also be seen above on this page) A great online magazine, which lists a run-down of upcoming eclipses! Rainbow Symphony, the leading manufacturer of safe solar viewing products
Eclipse2017.org, inc. is a non-profit, non-commercial enterprise, dedicated solely to helping people enjoy the upcoming spectacle of a total solar eclipse in the United States. We don't make any money, but we do have expenses. If you'd like to help us out with these, please click the Paypal link below. While your donation is not tax-deductible, your support is greatly appreciated!