Countdown: The Great American Eclipse Is Just 2 Months Away From Now

First Posted: Jun 22, 2017 06:03 AM EDT
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The total solar eclipse dubbed as the Great American Eclipse will just be two months away from now. People from the United States will witness this rare phenomenon on Aug. 21, 2017. This will be the first total solar eclipse that will be seen in the United States since 1979. This is also the first time that it will cross from coast to coast since 1918.

During this phenomenon, the Moon will envelop the Sun and will cast its shadow across the planet Earth. It is also the period in which the Sun, the Moon and the Earth will be perfectly aligned. The midday will then turn into darkness and people will hear the chickens cock and some animals will do strange things.

The Telegraph reports that about 14 states in the United States will be able to witness the total solar eclipse. There will be more than two minutes of darkness in the day as the phenomenon occurs. It is expected that about 12 million Americans will see this event. Meanwhile, it is also anticipated that millions of people from other cities will travel to witness the rare phenomenon.

Angela Speck, a researcher at the University of Missouri and a member of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) eclipse team, said that most people never get to see a total solar eclipse. She further said that this is an amazing opportunity for Americans, as Space.com noted.

Meanwhile, NASA has webcast two news conferences that featured experts on eclipse science, eclipse safety, travel and traffic information on June 21. It had two briefings. The first one focused on anticipated crowd sizes and traffic levels on Aug. 21. It ran from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. On the other hand, the second briefing ran from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and tackled eclipse science.

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