Total Solar Eclipse A Cosmic Show For The History Books
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A total solar eclipse happens somewhere on the planet every 18 months or so but the one we'll experience on august 21 is extraordinary.
A rare cross-country trip of the century will become a celestial event for the history books.
It's a cosmic show usually seen from space but soon the best view will be on American soil -- A total solar eclipse -- the first one that will be seen in the United States in decades.
"It's been 99 years since total eclipse covered west coast to east coast," Vanessa Griffin of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
The moon will pass between the sun and earth.
Its shadow will race across the country at an average speed of about 1,500 miles an hour, covering a swath roughly 70-miles wide.
Day will turn to night and temperatures will drop as much as 25 degrees.
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Here in the Philadelphia-area, we'll see a partial eclipse.
The sun will be about 80-percent covered. It will begin at 1:20 pm and peak at 2:44 p.m.
"These cosmic moments when nature speaks to us in an emotional way sometimes come loud," Thomas Zurbuchen of NASA said. "Like thunderstorms, like hurricanes and earthquakes but this one will be silent."
Total eclipse spectators will have a chance to view the sun's corona. That area expels electromagnetic energy and matter into the solar system, which can have a real-world impact here on earth.
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"It messes with GPS, with our communications systems, even power grids," Dr. Alex Young, a NASA astrophysicist, said. "It can also mess with your eyes. The sun is way too bright for your eyes. Do enjoy it but be safe."
The best way to enjoy the spectacle is with special viewing glasses.
