Next Monday, sky watchers from the beaches of Oregon through the midsection of America and down the South Carolina coastline, will be trying to catch a glimpse of the first total solar eclipse across the U.S. in 99 years. But in the so-called path of totality—a 70-or-so-mile-wide band in which parts of the country will be in complete daytime darkness for two-plus minutes—bartenders, winemakers, and distillers are hoping for another cosmic call: “Another round, please!” 
 
 Here’s how five distillers, winemakers, and brewers are prepping for when the sun suddenly goes dark. 
 
 MADRAS, OREGON—Totality Strikes: 10:19 a.m. PDT 
 
 When it comes to claims to fame, tiny Madras, Oregon (pop: roughly 6,700), usually boasts about being America’s carrot seed capital. But on eclipse day, Madras becomes a prime viewing spot in the state where the eclipse first strikes U.S. soil. More than 100,000 people are expected to cram into the central Oregon high-desert town for the event, attracted by wide-open vistas, predictably clear summer skies, and 2 minutes, 2 seconds of total darkness, one of the longest spans in the Northwest. 
 
 Rick Molitor has something else waiting for them: American Strong’er, a 97-proof whiskey he has distilled specially for eclipse day. Two years ago, Molitor, along with four drinking buddies, opened New Basin and came out with American Strong Light, a whiskey named after Jedediah Strong Smith, an early Western settler. For the Strong’er version, he tweaked the final product, upping the proof from 80 to 97. Why 97? It’s a nod to Highway 97, which bisects Madras and will lead many an eclipse watcher into town for the moon show—and ideally to his distillery. 
 
 In the days leading up to the eclipse Madras will stage Solarfest, a county fair-like celebration featuring 20 bands, balloon rides, and NASA scientists holding court for the thousands of campers slated to hit town. Molitor is also hosting a VIP breakfast that day for about 50 guests. They’ll first get to see his 300-gallon still, and then sit back and view the eclipse without having to compete with the throngs for a spot. He’s also thinking of using the three hours it takes for the moon to pass by the sun to keep his still running. “If we do a small batch and get it just dialed,” he says, “I’ll be able to claim that it was made during the eclipse.” 
 
 CASPER, WYOMING—Totality Strikes: 11:42 a.m. MDT 
 
 Amber Pollock says her hometown of Casper, Wyoming, has long been viewed as “a beer-drinking town.” Come eclipse day, she’s seeking to change that perception—if not forever then at least for the time it takes for midday darkness to come and go. 
 
 She’s hosting an all-day watch party at her family-owned Backwards Distilling Company, and during two-hour blocks, Pollock will serve cocktails named after the evolving sky. For instance, starting at 9 a.m., there’s the Eclipse Chaser—cold-brewed coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice, with muddled blueberries, tiki bitters, and an optional shot of Backwards’ own Sword Swallower Rum. Then, around 11 a.m., shortly after the moon first starts shading the sun, Pollock will offer up the First Contact: house-made pineapple lemonade, house-made grenadine, and 307 Eclipse Edition Vodka, a special version of the spirit that helped launch her family’s distillery two-and-a-half years ago. 
 
 Named after Wyoming’s sole area code, the 307 Vodka was developed by Pollock’s younger brother, Chad. “There were a lot of places serving Jack & Cokes [in Casper], but not many where you were going to find fresh squeezed juice,” says Pollock, a former elementary school teacher who launched Backwards with her brother and parents in 2014. “We had to open a facility to showcase our products in a way we wanted them to be showcased.” 
 
 Backwards, Casper’s only spirits distillery, has a tasting area that seats 52. Pollock hopes to double that number on eclipse day, drawing from the 35,000 visitors the city is expecting. (Total eclipse time in Casper: 2 minute, 26 seconds.) Besides offering unobstructed views from the distillery’s site, located on an elevated space away from downtown, Pollock has booked Inda Eaton, a Long Island-based singer-songwriter who grew up in Casper, to perform. Eaton goes on once the sun returns, and once Pollock’s last eclipse-day concoction—the Corona, a mix of milk can cinnamon moonshine, pineapple juice, lemon juice, vanilla, and bitters—is making the rounds. 
 
 MAKANDA, ILLINOIS—Totality Strikes: 1:20 p.m. CDT 
 
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 Back in 2014, Jim Ewers, who owns and operates Blue Sky Vineyard in Makanda, got a call from a stargazing junkie in Germany. The caller wanted to know if she could book a room at Ewers’ winery—for August 2017. Before that reservation request, Ewers had no clue about the coming eclipse, and that his vineyard was prime real estate for eclipse chasers. “I basically added 50 percent to the price I was charging at the time,” recalls Ewers, whose winery includes a few guest rooms. “She never took it, which worked out well because I’ve since gotten more [for the room].” 
 
 If the moon and sun line up according to star experts’ predictions, then Makanda is considered Ground Zero; total darkness in the southern Illinois town (pop: 544) is slated to last 2 minutes, 40.2 seconds, the longest duration of darkness in the country. Ewers plans to take full advantage of the designation. He’s expecting 3,000 to 5,000 people to make use of his 600-acre vineyard in the Shawnee Hills region of southern Illinois. (Ewers is charging $100 a night for RV campers.) He also bottled 100 cases of Solar Eclipse Wine, a specially made dry and, befitting the day, dark red wine he hopes to sell out by the time the crowds leave. The wine is a blend of two grapes grown in Ewers’ vineyard: Champbourcin, a French-American hybrid that Ewers says is low in tannin and fairly fruity, and Norton, a dark grape. “You can crush it and you get a high percentage of skin to juice,” Ewers explains. “You can extract more color out of the skin so you get a nice rich color out of it.” 
 
 Along with pushing the wine, Ewers has used the final days before the eclipse to map out where the rush of RVs will park, where to put a group of stargazing enthusiasts from Spain so they have a bit of seclusion and where to mount a specially commissioned piece of abstract artwork— aptly titled “He Flew Too Close to the Sun”—near the winery. The pace has left Ewers to admit, “I can’t wait until the 22nd. I want it all behind me.” 
 
 Perhaps, but he also knows what lies ahead. Come April 8, 2024, when the next total solar eclipse is slated for the U.S., his vineyard once again will be in the path of totality. 
 
 HOPKINSVILLE, KENTUCKY—Totality Strikes: 1:24 p.m. CDT 
 
 Peg Hays has been aware of the approaching eclipse for 10 years, even before she and her husband, AJ Jones, bought land in Hopkinsville and decided to open the Casey Jones Distillery on it. She’s watched dozens of clips of past eclipses on YouTube. She jokingly calls herself the “Empress of the Eclipse.” 
 
 So, when darkness strikes on Aug. 21, she’ll be ready. Totality, she says, is “at 1:24 pm Central Daylight Time, for 2:40 seconds. At 1:20 I’m going to go to the bathroom; I have that on my calendar already. Then I’m going to get outside and be with the crowd and watch it, let everything else go to hell, and watch this eclipse.” 
 
 A couple of weeks before the big day, Hays isn’t sure if the crowd camping out on her property will be “500 or 5,000.” Doesn’t matter. She’s hosting a three-day party featuring blue-grass bands, food trucks, and a barber giving E-clips. 
 
 And, no doubt, she’ll be pouring her distillery’s Total Eclipse Moonshine, made from yellow dent corn that’s locally grown. “We are Kentucky proud,” she boasts, then jokes: “You can have a total or partial eclipse right now by opening up a bottle.” 
 
 The trademarked 100-proof spirit comes from a still that’s a duplicate of the last one built by Casey Jones, a Prohibition-era still maker and AJ’s grandfather. “This region [western Kentucky] was known during Prohibition as a great place to get great moonshine product,” says Hays, who began distilling on her property with AJ two years ago. 
 
 Hays has already sold more than 5,000 bottles of the special moonshine. During eclipse weekend, she expects to sell a few more. That’s because Hopkinsville, with 32,000 residents, is gearing up for 200,000 sightseers, scientists, and, well, party-chasers to come for eclipse weekend. Hopkinsville even rebranded itself “Eclipseville” thanks to researchers determining it’s where the Point of Greatest Eclipse will occur—or “where the width of the moon’s shadow is widest,” according to Solar.com. (Darkness in Hopkinsville will be just .1 second shorter than in Makanda.) 
 
 But come totality time don’t expect Hays to be behind the counter. “In fact,” she says, “when we hand out parking passes, we’re going to tell people that at 1 p.m. we’re locking up the distillery and letting everyone experience the eclipse, including our staff.” She pauses, then, with a laugh, says, “Last call.” 
 
 COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA—Totality Strikes: 2:41 p.m. EDT 
 
 Speaking of last call… Two years ago, when Bryan O’Neal heard that his home state, South Carolina, would be the end of the line for Eclipse 2017, it got him thinking. And then, when he heard about the estimated number of out-of-state visitors the eclipse would draw to the state capital, Columbia, located 50 miles south of his brewery, it really got him thinking. He told himself, “If there’s going to be a million people, we’re going to brew a beer for this. This is a once-in-a hundred-year opportunity.” 
 
 O’Neal, who built swimming pools for 22 years before opening Benford Brewing on his cattle farm in Lancaster four years ago, quickly got to work. Wanting an “extremely dark” IPA for the day, he tweaked one of his recipes by using midnight wheat. “So it has a hint of porter at the beginning,” says O’Neal, “and then the hops explode with Mosaic, El Dorado, and Citra.” He called it Carolina Blackout and had a specially designed label prepared for it, using a variation of the state symbol—a Palmetto tree with a crescent moon—by switching in an eclipse moon. He included the date, Aug. 21, 2017. 
 
 And he trademarked Carolina Blackout. By starting early, he says, “we would beat all the other brewers to the punch and own the eclipse. And this is what pretty much happened.” Fortunately for O’Neal, the path of totality in South Carolina includes Columbia, Clemson, and Charleston, locations of many of his retailers. “It’s going to be like St. Patrick’s Day,” says O’Neal. “In the week of the eclipse they are going to want [Carolina Blackout] like they want green beer.” 
 
 On eclipse day, O’Neal will head to Columbia to watch the moon at work from a friend’s rooftop terrace, have a Blackout (or two), and revel in a once-in-a-lifetime sight. “South Carolina is home, and I am proud of my state,” says O’Neal. “The fact that we are getting this attention nationally is a good opportunity for the brewery and the state. It’s going to be a pretty special day.” ||||| Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Lou Tomososki burned his retina while looking at a partial eclipse at 1962 and now hopes to warn others of the dangers. USA TODAY 
 
 An Oregon City man is warning people to be extra careful on the day of the eclipse. (Photo: Courtesy of Mike Benner) 
 
 OREGON CITY, Ore. -- An Oregon man who burned his retina while looking at a partial eclipse, is warning people about the dangers of viewing the solar eclipse without proper eye protection. 
 
 Lou Tomososki and a friend viewed a partial eclipse outside of Marshall High School in 1962. 
 
 “The sun at that time, at 3:30 p.m., was in the one o’clock position,” said Tomososki. “I said to Roger, ‘If you stare at it long enough the brightness goes away.’” 
 
 What seemed like a silly dare at the time turned into one of the biggest mistakes of their lives. By nightfall, both Tomososki and his buddy were having vision problems. 
 
 “It doesn’t get any worse and it doesn’t get any better,” said Tomososki. 
 
 Both Tomososki and his friend, now 70 years old, have vision problems to this day. 
 
 “You know how the news people blur a license plate out,” said Tomososki. “That’s what I have on the right eye, about the size of a pea, I can’t see around that.” 
 
 More coverage: 
 
 A doctor later told Tomososki his retina was burned during the partial eclipse. Dr. Brandon Lujan of the Casey Eye Institute said people should not look at the sun without eye protection during the total eclipse. 
 
 “I think anytime is too much,” Lujan told KGW-TV. “Anytime looking can do damage.” 
 
 Tomososki is living proof of that. He is excited about the eclipse on Aug. 21, but he will not be looking towards the sky. 
 
 “I’m going to go out and enjoy it,” he said. “But I’ll stand and watch it get dark.” 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2w6owYH ||||| Weiser, Idaho, could see its population of 5,507 swell to 70,000 for the total solar eclipse. As the big day looms, will things go smoothly? 
 
 The portable toilets began arriving in Weiser, Idaho, on Tuesday, the first of around 70 orange outhouses ordered by local agengies for the Great American Eclipse. 
 
 They will serve a crowd that could reach 70,000 by the time this tiny town on the Oregon border is plunged into total darkness on Monday. 
 
 You don’t even have to do the math. Patrick Nauman will do it for you: “It’s about a thousand per ... It’s all we could get.” 
 
 What you need to see the total solar eclipse across America Read more 
 
 Nauman, chairman of Eclipse Fest 2017 and co-owner of Weiser Classic Candy, where eclipse cookies sell for $2.50 a pop, views the once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event as “a huge opportunity. I look at this as Mother Nature’s apology for the hard winter. This is a big economic shot in the arm.” 
 
 Mayor Diana Thomas, however, is not so sunny. Some in her struggling town, she notes wryly, are asking, “Why is God mad at us? Two things like this in one year?” 
 
 First, a record cold winter and two months of record snowfall caused the roof to collapse on Weiser’s only grocery store and took out the bowling alley, among other buildings. The market reopened but the bowling alley’s a goner. 
 
 
 
 And now comes the eclipse, which has cast a pall of uncertainty over this Idaho town, population 5,507. 
 
 The last time a solar eclipse’s path of totality crossed the US from Pacific to Atlantic was 1918. And, as the Idaho department of commerce-tourism development notes on its website, “there won’t be another one in Idaho for 152 years!”. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Brynlee Watkins, six, in Weiser, Idaho. She plans to sell water from a wagon during the total eclipse. Photograph: Otto Kitsinger for the Guardian 
 
 While the tourism department exhorts travelers to “make plans to be part of this amazing experience”, the transportation agency warns that hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on this rural state. And it cautions visitors: bring paper maps and lots of water. Make sure your gas tanks are full. Please, don’t set the tinder-dry state on fire. 
 
 Wariness was on full display Monday evening, during Weiser’s last pre-eclipse city council meeting. 
 
 
 
 It started with an invocation by pastor Kevin Bettinger: “I pray for our people that protect us. I pray for the people that make decisions. I pray for the events that we have coming up here in our area with the eclipse and all the many details.” 
 
 That got a very loud group “amen”. Then police lieutenant Troy Krahn outlined the city’s preparations. 
 
 The 12-person police department has borrowed two officers from the nearby town of Emmett. Police will work 10- to 12-hour shifts during the five days of festival and eclipse. 
 
 The school district will run shuttle buses from parking areas to the festival site at Memorial Park. Fire trucks will be placed in strategic spots to avoid getting stuck in traffic should disaster strike. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mayor Diana Thomas discusses preparation strategy. Tens of thousands are expected to descend on the town. Photograph: Otto Kitsinger for the Guardian 
 
 Because traffic is probably the major headache. 
 
 There’s a technical term for Weiser’s location: the middle of nowhere. It is reachable via three two-lane highways and more than half of the eclipse-viewers streaming into Weiser (rhymes with “geezer”) are expected to arrive on Monday. Or they’ll try to. 
 
 On 14 August, Nauman said the estimated driving time from Boise, the state capital, will be somewhere between five and eight hours, instead of the normal 90 minutes. On 15 August, mayor Thomas revised the commute time up – to somewhere between 10 and 10.5 hours. 
 
 And then there’s the question of accommodations. Right now, the best you can expect is a spot to pitch a tent on the grounds of Weiser High School, home of the Wolverines, or, maybe, in someone’s back yard. For a price, of course. 
 
 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Eclipse glasses for sale at Weiser Classic Candy. Photograph: Otto Kitsinger for the Guardian 
 
 Weiser High has already rented out more than 170 camp sites of 300 available on school grounds. A hundred bucks rents one spot for Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, with space for two tents and one vehicle.In addition, the school has rented out 200 parking spots at $10-per-day per spot. 
 
 The cheerleaders will operate a food booth Monday. The girls’ soccer team and the science club will have an information booth all weekend, complete with eclipse glasses for sale. The track club will sell water and coffee. 
 
 “The big question is if 60,000 people try to get into Weiser at the same time Monday, is that possible?” principal Dave Davies wondered, adding. “I’d just be sad if someone had their heart set on viewing the eclipse and had to see it from their car on US Route 95.” 
 
 By 15 August, Jim Metzger had already turned away around 50 pilots who wanted to reserve space at the city’s airport. There are usually 14 tie-downs, said the airport manager; he’s capped it at 118 for the eclipse and expects pilots and passengers to camp beneath their airplane wings. 
 
 Weiser only has three motels for a total of 40 or 50 rooms. All were booked at least a year ago. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest A stage in the Weiser, Idaho, backyard of Dolli Walsh, who is offering camping spaces for $75 a night. Photograph: Otto Kitsinger for the Guardian 
 
 Matt Penn found that out the hard way. 
 
 Penn is an astronomer with the National Solar Observatory. For Monday’s eclipse, he’s directing a coast-to-coast experiment called CitizenCATE, with telescopes recording at 68 sites along the path of totality from Oregon to South Carolina. Because Weiser is so small and the weather is so good, Penn said, he chose the town as his base. 
 
 'Most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen in my life': US readies for total eclipse Read more 
 
 Penn – who said he was “totally excited” – is so eager that he called each motel five months ago to book a room for him and his family. 
 
 No go. Instead, they’ll be bunking at the home of Weiser’s schools superintendent. 
 
 Once the heavens return to normal Monday, Penn plans to head home. 
 
 He will leave Weiser via a two-lane country highway. Along with 70,000 or so other astronomy buffs. More or less at the same time. 
 
 That’s the moment that has mayor Thomas most concerned. 
 
 “How,” she asks, “do we get people out of here when it’s over?” ||||| Story highlights Northern California gets a clear view of the ring of fire 
 
 Tokyo residents enjoy spectacular scenes, but clouds mar Hong Kong viewings 
 
 More than 80% of the sun was blocked during the eclipse 
 
 The shadow of the moon swept across the globe from Hong Kong to the Texas Panhandle as a rare annular solar eclipse began Monday morning in Asia and traversed the Pacific. 
 
 The sun appeared as a thin ring behind the moon to people in a narrow path along the center of the track, which began in southern China. Heavy clouds obscured the view in Hong Kong, but residents of Tokyo and other cities were able to get a spectacular view for about four minutes around 7:32 a.m. Monday (6:32 p.m. ET Sunday). 
 
 Events were held at schools and museums in Japan, while many more people took in the unusual astronomical event at home or on street corners. 
 
 After whizzing across the Pacific, the shadow emerged over northern California and southern Oregon, where thousands of people attended parties to watch the event, the first to appear in the United States since 1994. 
 
 Experts warned that hopeful viewers should not peer up at the sky without special viewing equipment, since looking at the sun with the naked eye can cause blindness. 
 
 Just Watched Solar eclipse 'looks like a cookie' replay More Videos ... Solar eclipse 'looks like a cookie' 01:32 PLAY VIDEO 
 
 Derek Ralston, a professional photographer, said he used a welding filter to capture a direct view of eclipse in the foothills above Oroville, California. He shared the photo on CNN iReport. 
 
 Noting "the rather slim swath of the globe who could see the impact of the eclipse," Ralston said he wanted to enable "the rest of the world to see how clear it looked to those of us who were fortunate enough to see it." 
 
 The sliver of sunshine then traveled southeast across central Nevada, southern Utah and northern Arizona, and then New Mexico. It passed over Albuquerque, New Mexico, about 7:34 p.m. (9:34 p.m. ET) before petering out east of Lubbock, Texas, according to NASA. 
 
 An annular eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and sun at the farthest point of its orbit, meaning it will block less than the entire sun. That leaves a large, bright ring around it as it passes. 
 
 Patrick Wiggins, a NASA ambassador in Salt Lake City, said he always looked forward to seeing people's reactions to such events. 
 
 "You get everything from stoic, staring into the sky ... to people breaking down and crying, they're just so moved," he said. 
 
 Aaron Lin, an 8th-grade student from Moraga, California, said a tree in his family's yard had served as unexpected natural viewing device on Sunday. 
 
 The leaves of the tree, whose shadow falls on the side of the family's house, broke up the light from the eclipse into scores of tiny crescents on the wall, he said. 
 
 "I was so shocked by these shadows because it looked like a painting or computer art," said Aaron, 13. 
 
 Did you view the eclipse? Share your photos with CNN iReport and they could be featured on CNN. 
 
 The next solar eclipse will be on November 13, and is expected to be visible over northern Australia, according to NASA. ||||| (CNN) On August 21, 26-year-old Nia Payne was hoping to view the solar eclipse in Staten Island, New York. What she didn't expect was to end up in the emergency room with a crescent shape blocking the center of her vision. 
 
 The eye damage she sustained while viewing the total solar eclipse in August is detailed in a case report published Thursday in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology 
 
 A technology called adaptive optics allowed doctors to view the damage on a cellular level and see the microscopic structures in her eyes. Previously, this kind of detail could be seen only with glass slides and a microscope. 
 
 An attempt to view the eclipse 
 
 Eclipse viewers had been warned to view the event only through special glasses: "Filters that meet the ISO 12312-2 standard reduce the sun's brightness to a safe and comfortable level, like that of a full moon, and block harmful ultraviolet and infrared radiation as well," Rick Fienberg of the American Astronomical Society said at the time. "Solar filters that meet this standard are about 100,000 times darker than ordinary sunglasses, and sunglasses don't block infrared radiation." 
 
 However, there was a widespread shortage of eclipse glasses due to the event's popularity, and Payne didn't have any. 
 
 Watching the celestial event outside her boyfriend's workplace, she noticed the changes around her, as it looked like dusk during the day. Payne looked up at the sun with her naked eye for a few seconds, but it was too bright. 
 
 She approached a woman nearby and asked whether she could borrow her glasses. The woman did not appear interested in viewing the eclipse and said she was "blind as a bat anyway." She told Payne she had borrowed them from a friend and agreed to let Payne use them. 
 
 Payne put on the glasses and looked up at the partial eclipse for 15 to 20 seconds. She didn't know what eclipse glasses were supposed to look like, but she remembered that the sun seemed particularly bright -- like looking at it with sunglasses on. 
 
 "But it didn't bother me, because I thought it would be a great experience to catch a solar eclipse the proper way," Payne told CNN. 
 
 She removed the glasses, returned them to the woman and left. 
 
 Six hours later, Payne noticed a weird dark spot in the center of her vision. She told her friends and family, but they told her to wait a day. After all, everyone had been outside looking up at the sun, and it was normal to feel "weird." 
 
 The next day, Payne lost vision in the center of her left eye. 
 
 A case study develops 
 
 She went to the emergency room of a hospital in Staten Island, but she said they didn't appear to take her complaint seriously and wouldn't look at her retina. 
 
 A friend suggested Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and Payne went there two days after the eclipse. From that emergency room, she was referred to specialists at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. 
 
 She was diagnosed with solar retinopathy, retinal damage from exposure to solar radiation, in both eyes. It was worse in her dominant left eye; the damage in her right eye was minimal and more manageable. 
 
 There is no treatment for solar retinopathy. It may improve or worsen, but is a permanent condition. 
 
 The retina is "the camera film of the eye," and it interprets light and turns into electrical energy so the brain can understand it, said Dr. Avnish Deobhakta, author of the new report and an ophthalmologist with the eye and ear infirmary. 
 
 Payne asked the doctors whether the damage was from attempting to look at the sun with her naked eye for a few seconds, but they said it looked as though it was caused by staring at the sun for some time. 
 
 Doctors believed that the eclipse glasses Payne used were not up to international safety standards. The American Astronomical Society had warned that it had received alarming reports of potentially unsafe eclipse glasses "flooding the market." Some bore a fake stamp to claim that the filters met the ISO 12312-2 standard. 
 
 "We saw damage, a change in the center part of her retina, which corresponds with your central visual field, and that is a tipoff for us that there was something going on here related to the eclipse," Deobhakta said. 
 
 Doctors used adaptive optics machine to image her eyes, in addition to normal imaging methods, to get a complete picture of the damage. 
 
 Adaptive optics were developed by the military to help focus laser beams and then later used on telescopes to reduce the twinkle of stars so they can be seen more clearly. Now, adaptive optics can be used to look at individual cells in the photoreceptor layer of the retina, where the uptake of light occurs before it is converted and transmitted to the brain. 
 
 It is also the layer that doctors thought might be most affected by viewing the eclipse improperly. 
 
 The adaptive optics image of Payne's retina revealed a crescent shape. 
 
 The images revealed something shocking. 
 
 "We could see a robust concordance between the shape of the exposed sun during the eclipse and the damage to cells in the photoreceptor layer," Deobhakta said. "When we have a patient who comes in saying they see a dark spot, we have them draw it. She drew a crescent, which corresponded to the exposed sun that was seen in the New York area the day of the eclipse. Then we did an imaging of this layer, and we saw what amounted to a crescent shape of damage to that layer. That really has never been able to be seen before. Our intuitions are shown to be correct by this very precise technology." 
 
 Doctors asked Payne whether she wanted to participate in a case study the moment they received the images back from the machine -- on only her second visit to the clinic. Hoping that the findings may help others, Payne agreed. 
 
 Dr. Christopher Quinn, president of the American Optometric Association, said the case study's novelty lies in the imaging techniques to characterize and document the retinal damage. And Dr. Jane C. Edmond, a pediatric ophthalmologist at Texas Children's Hospital, said the imaging technique may also have allowed for an earlier diagnosis of solar retinopathy by a few days. 
 
 Retraining the eye 
 
 Months after the incident, the damage has not changed, for better or worse. 
 
 Normal things like reading, driving and watching TV shows or movies have required Payne to retrain her vision. She is training herself to use her right eye as dominant, and she has to be close to the screen in order to watch TV or movies. But if she stares in one place for more than a few seconds, she can see the spot in the center of her vision, and it starts to block out everything else. Reading is the most difficult, she said. 
 
 She wore sunglasses for the first couple of months after the eclipse, to manage how bright everything seemed. The brightness and glare of lights at night is the worst, she said. 
 
 The spot itself isn't dark anymore, but tends to match the color of whatever she's looking at. Luckily, she still has peripheral vision in her left eye. 
 
 Payne is trying to live as she did before. 
 
 "So far, it's a nightmare, and sometimes it makes me very sad when I close my eyes and see it," Payne said. "It's embarrassing. People will assume I was just one of those people who stared blankly at the sun or didn't check the person with the glasses. It's something I have to live with for the rest of my life. But it could be a whole lot worse, and I try to count my blessings." 
 
 Follow CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. 
 
 She no longer lives as close to Mount Sinai as she did, but Payne will return in January for followup observation to see whether her vision is improving or worsening on a cellular level. 
 
 Deobhakta and the other doctors who participated in the case study are hopeful that adaptive optics will be what allows the possibility of a treatment for solar retinopathy down the road. 
 
 "This gives us a door to see conditions in a way we've never seen them before, and that often precedes treatments," Deobhakta said. "There is no treatment on the horizon, but the horizon is only seen when you're able to see it, and I think that's what this imaging helps us to do. Having this technology and looking at the cellular structure would have to be a precondition to do those things." ||||| CLOSE If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of August 21’s solar eclipse, buyers beware. Buzz60 
 
 People look through eclipse viewing glasses, telescopes and cameras during an annular solar eclipse, on Sept. 1, 2016, in Saint-Louis, on the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion. Stargazers in south and central Africa were treated to a spectacular solar eclipse on Sept. 1, 2016 when the Moon wanders into view to make the Sun appear as a "ring of fire", astronomers say. The phenomenon, known as an annular solar eclipse, happens when there is a near-perfect alignment of the Earth, Moon and Sun. But unlike a total eclipse, when the Sun is blacked out, sometimes the Moon is too far from Earth, and its apparent diameter too small, for complete coverage. (Photo: Richard Bouhet, AFP/Getty Images) 
 
 Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story misstated where Michael Schecter practices, which is the Columbus area. 
 
 An Ohio optometrist issued his plea last Friday: Please, don't watch the solar eclipse outside. And if you do watch it, for vision's sake, do it perfectly. 
 
 
 
 Michael Schecter fears his office in suburban Columbus will see patients who wake up after Monday's much-anticipated solar eclipse with irreversibly blurry vision, he said. 
 
 
 
 "There are serious risks associated with viewing a solar eclipse directly, even when using solar filter glasses," Schecter warned in a Facebook post that went up last Friday. 
 
 His admonition shot across social media this week, garnering nearly half a million shares. 
 
 While eclipse glasses offering a 100% filter of harmful rays exist, Schecter stressed that they can still result in permanent vision loss if not used perfectly — a warning backed by NASA. 
 
 The vast majority of Americans won't see a total eclipse next Monday but a partial one. The moon won't cover 100% of the sun in those places, Schecter noted, but it will cover enough to let you look directly into the eclipse without much pain — and that's the problem. 
 
 Just seconds of exposure to a partial eclipse can "burn a blind spot right to your most precious central vision," he said in the post. 
 
 Such damage doesn't reveal itself for a day or two, Schecter told USA TODAY, causing blurriness he said can take months or years to fully heal, if it does at all. 
 
 Schecter wrote the post after discussing the eclipse in a Facebook group for optometrists, he said. His main concern is for children viewing the eclipse without thorough supervision. 
 
 Eclipse glasses render everything dark except the eclipse itself, which could tempt little ones to peek over them to see "what's really going on," Schecter said, and that's where damage can occur. 
 
 "One failure, just one, where education and supervision fail, will have such a devastating consequence," he wrote. 
 
 Schecter said he knows some might call him overly cautious, but keeping the risks in mind amid all the excitement could save someone's eyes, he said: “Being a little bit nervous about it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” 
 
 Presuming your eclipse glasses aren't defective or fake, NASA warns damage can still result from improper use. That includes peering through a telescope, camera or binoculars while wearing the glasses — the sun's concentrated rays can damage lenses —and removing glasses before turning fully away from the eclipse. 
 
 (Here are the five companies making safety-certified eclipse glasses, and where to find them.) 
 
 
 
 Schecter prefers viewing a partial eclipse using a classic pinhole camera, he said, but even then children still might peek. 
 
 
 
 "Watch it on television if you do not have proper protection," he said. 
 
 Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner 
 
 More: 'Eclipse blindness' is a real thing. How to know which solar eclipse glasses are safe. 
 
 Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2x8rdW7 ||||| In 1962, a teenager in Oregon named Lou Tomososki and a friend both made the mistake of looking directly at a partial solar eclipse without any protective eyewear. Tomososki saw bursts of light, like those from a flashbulb. His vision in his right eye never recovered. “You know how the news people blur a license plate out,” he recently told NBC News. “That’s what I have on the right eye, about the size of a pea. I can’t see around that.” 
 
 A complete solar eclipse is said to be so awe-inspiring that people who experience one become addicts. On Monday (Aug. 21), a wide swath of the US will get to view such an event. 
 
 For those in the path of “totality,” when the moon completely blocks the sun’s face and reveals its corona, it will be safe for a few minutes to look directly at the eclipse with your naked eyes, according to NASA. But most of the US isn’t in that path. For all those people, to look even for a moment without certified protective eyewear can cause permanent damage. 
 
 In an Aug. 18 article for JAMA Ophthalmology, two eye experts explained what actually happens to your eye if you look at an eclipse. There are two types of damage sunlight can inflict. One is “direct thermal injury,” caused by near-infrared radiation, meaning the light can literally burn your eye. Because you can’t see that type of light, and because your retina—the light-sensitive tissue lining inside your eye—doesn’t have pain receptors, the damage can occur without you even knowing it. 
 
 But the more concerning sort of damage is called photochemical toxicity, and it results from the light you can see. As that light passes through the eye, the normal chemical processes within the eye generate free radicals and what are called reactive oxygen species. In excess, as happens when your eye gets hit with a direct shot of sunlight, those atoms can destroy your retinal tissue. The article’s authors cite a 1999 study of eclipse burns from the UK that photochemical toxicity was the more frequent cause of sun-induced retina damage, known as “solar retinopathy.” 
 
 As it happens, young adults—perhaps especially young males—are those most likely to suffer these eye injuries from the eclipse. “Although a clearer lens [in the eye] that is more permissive to transmitting visible light may contribute to this finding, a more likely explanation may be simple misunderstanding of the danger of viewing an eclipse without proper protection or misuse of that protection,” the authors write. 
 
 Those who want to watch the 2017 eclipse, or photograph it, need to make sure they take the proper precautions. Looking through a telescope, binoculars, or a camera lens without the right eyewear isn’t safe either. The event will only last a few minutes, but the damage it can cause could last a lifetime. ||||| So we asked eclipse fanatics to tell us what makes them so damn special. 
 
 As you might've heard, the total solar eclipse that will occur on Aug. 21 is kind of a big deal. For the first time in 99 years, the moon's shadow will make its way across the entire United States from the west coast to the east. This means that for the first time in a few generations, anyone in the contiguous 48 states will be within a day's drive of the path of totality, when the moon will completely block the sun and day will briefly turn to night. Experiencing an eclipse from within the path of totality is considered so singular and marvelous that amateur eclipse chasers and professional astronomers alike started booking travel, scheduling transportation, and reserving lodging years in advance. BuzzFeed News talked to eclipse chasers and challenged them to describe as best they could the life-changing magic of witnessing a total solar eclipse. Here's what they shared. 
 
 “I feel as if I am in the presence of a deity, and I understand that in this vast universe, I am nothing.” "Experiencing a total solar eclipse is the closest most of us will ever get to space travel. During totality, the earth's blue sky draws back like a receding curtain, revealing what's above our heads but unseen at any other time: the inner reaches of our solar system. You see a most un-sunlike sun — a frilly, shimmering halo — flanked by planets and bright stars. 
 
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 It's as if you are standing on some distant world, looking back at creation. 
 
 I should note that in my normal life I am a staid, logical, scientifically minded person. A total solar eclipse taps a whole other part of my being. I feel as if I am in the presence of a deity, and I understand that in this vast universe, I am nothing. It's a terrifying and humbling realization, and yet —paradoxically — it brings me great peace." —David Baron 
 
 author of American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World 
 
 Boulder, Colorado 
 
 “The sky is a lovely shade of twilight blue, and a handful of bright stars and planets will shine forth, and all around the horizon you’ll see pastel sunset colors …” "Inside the path of totality, you will see the most spectacularly beautiful sight you have ever seen in nature: the everyday sun totally blocked by the moon, revealing the sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona. The silhouette of the moon appears blacker than any black you’ve ever seen. The solar corona is a diaphanous glow all around the sun, pearly white, with loops and streamers extending several solar diameters in various directions, tracing the sun’s otherwise invisible magnetic field. 
 
 At the very beginning/end of totality, you’ll see brilliant red arcs of the sun’s chromosphere, or lower atmosphere, just beyond the moon’s advancing/retreating limb, or edge, and you may see some prominences — jets, arcs, or loops of red chromospheric gas — jutting off the edge of the sun. The sky is a lovely shade of twilight blue, and a handful of bright stars and planets will shine forth, and all around the horizon you’ll see pastel sunset colors coming from beyond the moon’s shadow in all directions, where the sun is still shining. You’ll feel the temperature drop noticeably, and you may feel changes in the wind — both its speed and its direction. All of this lasts just a couple minutes, though it feels as if it’s over within seconds." 
 
 —Rick Fienberg 
 
 press officer, American Astronomical Society 
 
 Washington, DC 
 
 
 
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 “The only thing I can compare that to is if you’re snorkeling ... things underwater look all different colors than they do up on land.” 
 
 “When you experience a total eclipse, it kind of looks like the end of the world. It really does. If it’s a clear day, the sun is high in the sky. It’s supposed to be there — there’s not supposed to be a black hole in the sky right where the sun should be. And that black hole has pink flames and silver streamers around it. Then it gets dark — it’s doesn’t get totally dark — it’s more like a deep dusk. And because the light that’s provided is coming from the sun’s silvery corona, what you see all has a different color than normal. 
 
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 The only thing I can compare that to is if you’re snorkeling ... things underwater look all different colors than they do up on land. But you know you’re not snorkeling — you know you’re not under the water. And so it’s the only time in my life where all the colors that I’m used to living with every day start to go weird. Your brain goes, Whoa, what’s going on? I’m not on a drug. I’m not in a movie. Yet everything is changing. And that happens just before the total eclipse, maybe a couple minutes before. And whenever that happens, the hair on the back of my neck starts to stand up, because it’s just so weird ... and I’ve now chased about 10 or 12 of them since 1970.” 
 
 —Doug Duncan 
 
 astronomer, Department of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences of the University of Colorado 
 
 director of the Fiske Planetarium 
 
 Boulder, Colorado 
 
 "It became eerily dark on the hills and over the bay, where intermittent camera flashes signaled the presence of unseen boats." “I went to southern England for the total solar eclipse in 1999. But of course, England isn't known for clear skies, and my choice to watch from there came with some degree of risk. When the day came, I gathered with a small group of locals on a hill overlooking the ocean, and we stood under a clouded sky to wait. As the eclipse progressed, once in a while, the crescent sun peeked through a break in the clouds, and we watched the strange narrowing shape with our eclipse glasses. By the time totality arrived, the cloud cover was complete, but the occasion was deeply surreal and affecting nonetheless. It became eerily dark on the hills and over the bay, where intermittent camera flashes signaled the presence of unseen boats. The air grew colder. Streetlights came over the road. Sea birds shrieked and flew about, confused. 
 
 And in every direction, all along the horizon, we saw a pale glow like a 360-degree sunset, where the land in the distance was still in the bright light of midday. 
 
 It would have been nice to see the solar corona around the darkened sun. But even without that, the experience of being in a momentary island of full night surrounded by daylight was an extraordinary one, and it made visceral the connection we have to the usually predictable motions of the cosmos. Go for clear skies if you can find them, but even under a blanket of clouds, standing on the Earth in the midst of a total solar eclipse is a phenomenal thing.” 
 
 
 
 —Katie Mack 
 
 theoretical astrophysicist 
 
 Melbourne, Australia 
 
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 “The moon has reached the sun, moving in front of it in a slow waltz.” “Eclipse day arrives. Four years of preparation had gone by, months of building the equipment, weeks of testing, days of assembling and retesting and an early morning of finalizing details. Despite how tired everyone is, we are all filled with anxiety and excitement. 
 
 All of us stand in the cold, waiting for the moment of truth. Someone in the distance shouts, ‘First contact, first contact!’ The moon has reached the sun, moving in front of it in a slow waltz. Spectators watch, take pictures, and do jumping jacks in an effort to keep warm while totality is reached, knowing that the temperature will drop a few more degrees. Finally, totality is reached. The moon stands between us and our sun not knowing, or perhaps knowing, what phenomenon she has created. Darkness comes. The sun’s atmosphere reveals itself, shining over us. … No words can describe the feeling one gets when witnessing such an event. The entire world around us has disappeared. It is just us and the eclipse. 
 
 How lucky we are! Slowly, as the moon starts to eclipse our star, I start to realize how small we truly are and how small we truly feel. I realize how wonderful life is and how fortunate we all are to be in this very spot as scientists — but beyond that, as people who have come together to make this an unforgettable week. The moon continues to waltz her way across the sky. The sun slowly appears behind the moon. Light ensues once again, final pictures and videos are taken, a few more cheers can be heard and lots of smiles can be seen. ... The moon has left the stage and the sun proudly shines knowing we are all talking about him." 
 
 —Nathalia Alzate 
 
 postdoctoral research associate in Space Weather, Aberystwyth University, Wales 
 
 UK visiting scientist, Institute for Astronomy of the University of Hawai'i, Manoa Honolulu 
 
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 “Chasing a total solar eclipse is the act of looking for unusual events to break up your usual routine.” “For me a total solar eclipse is not just the passage of the moon in front of the sun’s face. It’s a pretext for seeing the world in a different way. Day is not always shiny; it can be as dark as night even at midday. Chasing a total solar eclipse is the act of looking for unusual events to break up your usual routine, and discover new things. 
 
 A total solar eclipse can be very inspiring and teachable, and it can be the beginning of a new life, as it was for me. Witnessing a total solar eclipse mesmerized me, and got me addicted to the world of astronomy, the world of spectacular and exciting science-based phenomena. A total solar eclipse consists of the most interesting and exciting activities — traveling, adventure, photography, education, observation, etc. It’s fantastic to find yourself among the lovely family of eclipse chasers, including a great number of members all around the world.” —Mohamad Soltanolkotabi 
 
 amateur astronomer and astrophotographer 
 
 Girona, Spain 
 
 “It looks like it’s electrified. It’s purely an electrical, magical effect.” 
 
 “There was Aruba in 1998. That was my second total solar eclipse and I was jumping for joy. ... You’ve got this beautiful coastal beach and this turquoise water. You looked up and you had this redness around the horizon ... and then you had this violet sky and there’s a silvery sheen, the rays of the corona extending in two directions — they’re streaming out. ... That’s the real sun that you don’t [usually] see. Now it’s exposed itself to you — it’s showing you what it’s got. The moon took over. The moon did it for you. 
 
 It really blew me away. The colors, the electricity of it all. It looks like it’s electrified. It’s purely an electrical, magical effect. 
 
 Then everything goes back to normal within seconds, and then it’s like, Where’s the next one? You want to do that again immediately ... you want to just take it in again. Well, guess what, you have to wait — not days or months, but years. ... Time stops, too, when you’re there.” 
 
 —Mike Kentrianakis 
 
 solar eclipse project manager at the American Astronomical Society 
 
 New York City 
 
 “I am not a very emotional person, but when I listen to recordings I have made at previous eclipses, I often get tears in my eyes.” “Total solar eclipses are truly awe-inspiring. Other natural phenomena can be spectacular, such as the aurora borealis, Yosemite Valley, or a beautiful sunset, but none of those shake you to your core in such a fundamental way. The sun is so central to life on Earth that when it slowly disappears and then is suddenly replaced by a jet-black circle surrounded by the white wispy corona, your lizard brain can scarcely comprehend it. And no other phenomenon elicits such universal reactions of joy and excitement among all those who experience it. No photo or video can convey the experience of a total eclipse, but audio recordings come closest. I am not a very emotional person, but when I listen to recordings I have made at previous eclipses, I often get tears in my eyes.” 
 
 —Evan Zucker 
 
 eclipse chaser 
 
 San Diego 
 
 “You might gasp, scream, or perhaps cry at this astonishing vision.” 
 
 “A total eclipse of the sun is unlike any other experience you can witness in nature. The moment when the moon's shadow envelopes you will be a full sensory experience; the sky suddenly darkens, planets and brighter stars reveal themselves, and the sun's corona, invisible to us all our lives except for the few precious minutes of total eclipse, will stun you with its beauty. You might gasp, scream, or perhaps cry at this astonishing vision. 
 
 
 
 When totality draws to a close, you will be a changed person. You will feel a new connection to our universe and your spirit will be lifted above the Earth. Your emotion at this moment will be bittersweet; [you'll feel both] giddy from the experience of totality, and sadness it has drawn to an end. Your first thought after totality will be When and where is the next one? And you will resolve to see the next great American eclipse passing from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024.” 
 
 
 
 —Michael Zeiler 
 
 co-owner and operator of Great American Eclipse 
 
 Santa Fe, New Mexico 
 
 “It looked like a black hole in the sky.” 
 
 “We were on the beach on the northwest corner of the big island of Hawaii, in a state park. The wind died down and so did the waves that were coming in — there were no waves at all by the time of totality. The birds had gone to roost for the 'night' and all the tropical frogs were chirping in abundance. The clouds were breaking up over the mountain, and there it was! The partial eclipse was well on its way. A short time later, it happened — the black moon took over and blocked out the sun — it looked like a black hole in the sky! At the same time, the corona burst out all around it and I was just totally overwhelmed with the magnificent beauty of it! It was an explosion of colors in my heart and mind, and I was covered by waves of goosebumps from head to toe. Even now, 26 years later, I have tears running down my face reliving it again. Each new total eclipse that I see, I just relax and let the same thing happen to me again. I can hardly wait until Aug. 21." 
 
 —Jackie Beucher 
 
 vice president of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City 
 
 Overland Park, Kansas 
 
 “When totality is over, and the normal world returns, I feel an incredible loss and a yearning to stand in that familiar shadow again.” 
 
 “For me, a total solar eclipse is an intense emotional moment — it's like I feel every human emotion in a short period of time. There is a rush of intense emotion, a sense of wrongness when it starts to go dim, a primitive fear that gives me shudders and goosebumps at the creeping darkness of the moon's shadow, and intense euphoria as the sun is fully covered and the world goes dark. 
 
 Then comes the stupendous awe of what I am seeing — there is a hole in the sky where the sun should be. It is wonderful, thrilling, exciting, and incredible. This is followed by moments of deep reflection; I am struck by how vast our universe is, and how incredibly small and insignificant I am within it. It reminds me that we are all connected, and makes me feel humbled by how lucky I am to experience such incredible beauty. Time stops and is, indeed, no longer relevant. I love looking around at the world, seeing sunset colors all around, and feeling as if I am in a different reality. When totality is over, and the normal world returns, I feel an incredible loss and a yearning to stand in that familiar shadow again.” —Kate Russo 
 
 psychologist and author, Being in the Shadow 
 
 Belfast 
 
 See all of BuzzFeed's eclipse stories here, and buy your BuzzFeed eclipse viewing glasses here! 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Sally Tamarkin is a health editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York. Contact Sally Tamarkin at sally.tamarkin@buzzfeed.com. Got a confidential tip? Submit it here. ||||| Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Krispy Kreme is ditching their original glaze for the first time. Angeli Kakade (@angelikakade) has the story. Buzz60 
 
 ust days after releasing the delicious Reese's Peanut Butter Cups doughnut to the masses, Krispy Kreme is bumping it up a notch. (Photo: Krispy Kreme, courtesy of Business Wire) 
 
 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Eclipse fever has officially taken over. 
 
 Just days after releasing the delicious Reese's Peanut Butter Cups doughnut to the masses, Krispy Kreme is bumping it up a notch. 
 
 For the first time ever, Krispy Kreme’s original glazed doughnuts will be “eclipsed” by chocolate glaze to commemorate the total solar eclipse. Doughnut lovers will be able to get their hands on the extremely limited treat all day on Monday, Aug. 21, as well as during evening “Hot Light” hours on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20. 
 
 
 
 More coverage: 
 
 “The solar eclipse is a rare occasion providing a total sensory experience for viewers across the continental U.S. Chocolate will have the same effect as we introduce a first-time chocolate glazing of our iconic Original Glazed Doughnut,” said Jackie Woodward, Chief Marketing Officer for Krispy Kreme. “The Chocolate Glazed Doughnut is a delicious way to experience the solar eclipse — no matter where you are — and we can’t wait for fans to try it.” 
 
 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Eclipse in the USA: then and now | 1:02 The last eclipse in the USA was February 26, 1979. What's changed in the USA from then to now? The differences from 1979 to now are staggering in categories like GDP, average salary, gas price, and even most popular song. Video provided by TheStreet Newslook 1 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Spectators watch total eclipse in Oregon | 0:48 Crowds gathered in Salem, Oregon to watch as a total solar eclipse made landfall on the United States. (Aug. 21) AP 2 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Eclipse watchers stake out spots | 0:47 Americans staked out viewing spots from Oregon to South Carolina to watch the moon blot out the midday sun for a magical couple of minutes Monday in what promised to be the most observed and photographed eclipse in history. (Aug. 21) AP 3 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Eclipse begins over Madras, Oregon | 0:54 In what promises to be the most observed and photographed eclipse in history, the start of a total solar eclipse can now be seen from Oregon. (Aug. 21) AP 4 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Football coaches don't care about the eclipse | 1:19 SportsPulse: While the world prepares for the solar eclipse, these football coaches are keeping their minds on the field. USA TODAY Sports 5 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Comics on the meaning behind today's eclipse in Best of Late Night | 2:25 Why is the eclipse like a Trump news conference? Find out in today's Best of Late Night. USA TODAY Opinion_Eileen Rivers 6 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 The first place to see the solar eclipse | 1:06 The Yaquina Head lighthouse is the first place to see the Total Solar Eclipse in the continental United States. Jefferson Graham takes a tour. Video by Anna Reed 7 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Flashback to the last total solar eclipse...in 1918 | 1:35 There hasn't been a total solar eclipse visible from coast to coast since June of 1918. Here's a comparison of then and now of what the U.S. was like. USA TODAY 8 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Oregon man warns: Protect your eyes during eclipse | 1:44 Lou Tomososki burned his retina while looking at a partial eclipse at 1962 and now hopes to warn others of the dangers. USA TODAY 9 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Vanderbilt University recalls 8,000 eclipse viewing glasses | 0:40 Vanderbilt University recalled 8000 pair of eclipse viewing glasses. Elizabeth Keatinge (@elizkeatinge) has more. Buzz60 10 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Solar eclipse could be tricky for drivers | 1:08 The Federal Highway Administration is calling the event ​one of the largest driver distractions in years. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 11 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 There's only one real danger during a total solar eclipse | 1:35 A total solar eclipse is a natural event. For the most part, it's no more dangerous than any other day. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 12 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Man about to witness his 27th total solar eclipse | 2:54 Astronomer Donald Liebenberg has spent more time in totality — when the moon covers the sun — than any other person on Earth. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 13 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 The solar eclipse could cost employers a ton of money | 1:09 The total solar eclipse will be on Monday August 21, and it could cost employers millions in lost productivity. Time 14 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 This DIY 'moon' ice will make your solar eclipse party even better | 0:55 All you need are some tennis balls, water balloons, and a couple key ingredients to add color. Reviewed.com - Jeremy Stamas and Jackson Ruckar 15 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 3 nonscientific reasons everyone is 'geeking out' over the eclipse | 5:33 Phil Plait, aka the 'Bad Astronomer,' chatted with Newsy about the upcoming total solar eclipse and why he thinks there's so much hype. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 16 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Eclipse glasses shortages being reported | 0:15 Stores across the country are reporting shortages of eclipse glasses Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY 17 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 More than spectacle: Eclipses create science | 2:55 Next week’s stunning solar eclipse in the United States will generate as much science as oohs and aahs. Citizen-scientists will have a chance to participate by watching animals and launching high-altitude balloons and scientific telescopes. (Aug. 14) AP 18 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Neil deGrasse Tyson: Put down phone during eclipse | 1:09 Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is urging people to put down their smart phones during next Monday's solar eclipse and experience it in the moment: emotionally, physically and psychologically. (Aug. 14) AP 19 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 What you need to know about this summer's solar eclipse | 1:39 On Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse will be visible to mainland America. Find out why it is drawing giddy excitement from the public, as well as astronomy gurus. USA TODAY NETWORK 20 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 All those eclipse apps | 1:20 Jefferson Graham's guide to all those apps to enjoy the August 21 solar eclipse on #TalkingTech. 21 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Don't fall for knockoff solar eclipse glasses | 0:59 If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of August 21’s solar eclipse, buyers beware. Buzz60 22 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Solar Eclipse 2017 explained | 1:33 On Aug. 21 we will see the first solar eclipse in the U.S. since 1979. Our graphic explains exactly what one is, shows its path and some how-to viewing tips. By Ramon Padilla Karl Gelles, Dann Miller, Walbert Castillo, Janet Loehrke and Sara Wise, USA TODAY NETWORK 23 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Krispy Kreme is going dark for this month's total solar eclipse | 0:49 Krispy Kreme is ditching their original glaze for the first time. Angeli Kakade (@angelikakade) has the story. Buzz60 24 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 See what happens during a total solar eclipse | 1:44 On August 21, there will be a total solar eclipse crossing from coast-to-coast in the U.S. It is expected to be the most viewed eclipse in history. Want to know what to expect? Check out this animation. (Aug. 4) AP 25 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Eye protection critical for solar eclipse viewing | 2:36 Can you really damage your eyes while staring at the sun? How to safely view the upcoming solar eclipse. (Aug. 10) AP 26 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Here's how NASA will study the sun during the total solar eclipse | 1:07 A total solar eclipse is happening on August 21st and the people at NASA are taking full advantage of the situation to learn more about the sun. Ryan Sartor (@ryansartor) has that story. Buzz60 27 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Here's how you can watch the eclipse with Sasquatch | 1:00 Get ready to watch the eclipse with Sasquatch! Nathan Rousseau Smith (@fantasticmrnate) explains. Buzz60 28 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 A 'ring of fire' will appear in the sky during rare eclipse | 0:42 People in South America and Southern Africa will have a front row seat to a rare eclipse on Sunday. Josh King has the story (@abridgetoland). Buzz60 29 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Upcoming solar eclipse to be live-streamed from thousands of feet up | 1:05 A total solar eclipse is coming on August 21, and even if you’re not astronomically blessed enough to be in its path, you won’t be left in the dark. Buzz60's Amanda Kabbabe (@kabbaber) has more. Buzz60 30 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Scientists are asking for your help in creating an 'eclipse megamovie' | 0:59 Filmmakers are being asked to help film the next solar eclipse in what is being called the Eclipse Megamovie Project. Josh King has the story @abridgetoland). Buzz60 31 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 New solar eclipse stamp does something no other stamp can | 1:06 Even the United States Postal Service is gearing up for the rare solar eclipse craze with a stamp that changes when you touch it. Sean Dowling (@seandowlingtv) has more. Buzz60 32 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 This tiny town is the best place to catch the total solar eclipse | 0:53 For the first time in 99 years, a solar eclipse will be visible in the United States. A small town in Illinois is the best place to see it. Aidan Kelley has the story. Buzz60 33 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Anticipation grows in path of solar eclipse | 2:17 Hopkinsville, Kentucky, a city of about 32,000 people will have one of the longest durations of the solar eclipse on August 21. Tens of thousands of people are expected to watch the eclipse from this rural area. (June 28) AP 34 of 35 Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 Want Solar Eclipse 2017? Win a chance to see it on Alaska Airlines | 1:41 On August 21, the United States will experience a truly rare celestial phenomenon: A total solar eclipse. Time 35 of 35 Last VideoNext Video Eclipse in the USA: then and now 
 
 Spectators watch total eclipse in Oregon 
 
 Eclipse watchers stake out spots 
 
 Eclipse begins over Madras, Oregon 
 
 Football coaches don't care about the eclipse 
 
 Comics on the meaning behind today's eclipse in Best of Late Night 
 
 The first place to see the solar eclipse 
 
 Flashback to the last total solar eclipse...in 1918 
 
 Oregon man warns: Protect your eyes during eclipse 
 
 Vanderbilt University recalls 8,000 eclipse viewing glasses 
 
 Solar eclipse could be tricky for drivers 
 
 There's only one real danger during a total solar eclipse 
 
 Man about to witness his 27th total solar eclipse 
 
 The solar eclipse could cost employers a ton of money 
 
 This DIY 'moon' ice will make your solar eclipse party even better 
 
 3 nonscientific reasons everyone is 'geeking out' over the eclipse 
 
 Eclipse glasses shortages being reported 
 
 More than spectacle: Eclipses create science 
 
 Neil deGrasse Tyson: Put down phone during eclipse 
 
 What you need to know about this summer's solar eclipse 
 
 All those eclipse apps 
 
 Don't fall for knockoff solar eclipse glasses 
 
 Solar Eclipse 2017 explained 
 
 Krispy Kreme is going dark for this month's total solar eclipse 
 
 See what happens during a total solar eclipse 
 
 Eye protection critical for solar eclipse viewing 
 
 Here's how NASA will study the sun during the total solar eclipse 
 
 Here's how you can watch the eclipse with Sasquatch 
 
 A 'ring of fire' will appear in the sky during rare eclipse 
 
 Upcoming solar eclipse to be live-streamed from thousands of feet up 
 
 Scientists are asking for your help in creating an 'eclipse megamovie' 
 
 New solar eclipse stamp does something no other stamp can 
 
 This tiny town is the best place to catch the total solar eclipse 
 
 Anticipation grows in path of solar eclipse 
 
 Want Solar Eclipse 2017? Win a chance to see it on Alaska Airlines 
 
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– On Monday, the US will have a view of a total solar eclipse for the first time in 99 years. We know that thanks to the hard, sometimes-life-risking work of astronomers over thousands of years. In a history of eclipse predictions, BuzzFeed reports two Chinese astronomers were beheaded by the emperor after failing to predict a total solar eclipse in 2134 BCE. Their failure could perhaps be forgiven—it would be nearly 4,000 years before astronomers were able to start making reliable ground maps of eclipses. Here's what else you need to know about the upcoming celestial show: 24/7 Wall St. is warning of massive traffic jams as up to 7 million people travel to the 70-mile-wide strip stretching from Oregon to South Carolina where the total eclipse will be visible. And that can mean headaches for some small towns in that strip, the Guardian reports. "Why is God mad at us?" asks the mayor of Weiser, a tiny Idaho town of 5,500 that is expecting up to 70,000 for the eclipse but was only able to procure 70 port-a-potties for their use. But human behavior researchers tell the New York Times a total solar eclipse is worth braving the crowds to view alongside other people. It makes the experience more emotional and provides a way to connect with others, even for a few minutes. One thing that can make massive crowds more tolerable: alcohol. The Daily Beast provides a "drinker's guide" to the eclipse, including a distiller in Oregon selling 97-proof eclipse whiskey and a winery in Illinois that bottled 100 cases of eclipse wine for the 5,000 people it's expecting. Meanwhile, BuzzFeed talks to a bunch of eclipse fanatics to find out what makes total solar eclipses so special. “I feel as if I am in the presence of a deity, and I understand that in this vast universe, I am nothing," one such fanatic explains. Need a soundtrack for your eclipse viewing? Time reports Bonnie Tyler will sing her 1983 hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" during Royal Caribbean's Total Eclipse Cruise, which will be positioned in the eclipse's path off the East Coast. At least one person in America isn't planning on viewing Monday's eclipse. According to USA Today, Lou Tomososki of Oregon still has permanent eye damage—a permanent blurry spot in his vision—from staring at a partial eclipse in 1962 without eye protection. Don't be like Lou Tomososki. NPR has a video showing how to make your own eclipse viewer so you can watch the action without burning out your retinas.