2017 ECLIPSE WEBSITES: 
 
 http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html 
 
 http://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/eclipse-2017/ 
 
 http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/path_through_the_US.htm 
 
 http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/Eclipse2017.php 
 
 http://www.shadowandsubstance.com/2017/2017e.html 
 
 Editor's note: If you have a skywatching photo that you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, send images and comments in to Space.com at spacephotos@space.com. Map showing the path of totality across the United States for the total solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017. Credit: Fred Espenak/NASA GSFC 
 
 But Aug. 21, 2017, will mark the first time this century, and the first time since 1979, that a total solar eclipse will cross the contiguous (lower 48) United States (Alaska had its turn in 1990; Hawaii in 1991). All of North America will be inside the penumbra, causing a rather large partial eclipse for much of the U.S. and portions of southwest Canada. It's also the first time the shadow track, called the path of totality, will sweep across the U.S. and no other country. The best chances for a clear look appear to be in the area running from western Oregon through Wyoming, where, on average, the odds are on the order of about 70 percent. This method of solar viewing is safe so long as you remember not to look through the binoculars or telescope when they are pointed toward the sun; put another way, never look directly at the sun when any part of its blindingly bright surface is visible.
– Ever dreamed of seeing the sky darken and the stars twinkle in the middle of a summer's day? Then mark your calendar for Aug. 21, 2017, because if you're in the US the chances are good that you'll be among the 200 million or so people within a day's drive of the country's first total eclipse of the sun since 1979, reports Space.com. While total solar eclipses are more common than many realize, with 68 this century, this eclipse will be the first since 1918 where the moon's shadow—the so-called "path of totality"—will sweep across the US from coast to coast. It's being called the Great American Eclipse because it will be visible from no other country on the planet. Total eclipses are technically "a fluke of celestial mechanics and time," adds Space.com, because right now the moon, which is gradually moving away from Earth, happens to be the perfect distance to appear equal in size to the sun. The moon's shadow will totally block the sun for the longest duration, two minutes and 40 seconds, just outside of Hopkinsville, Ky., and is being hailed as the largest event to ever hit the town of 32,000 people, reports UPI. But the best bet for clear viewing is said to be in Oregon, where totality will only last 2 minutes but there's a 70% chance of clear skies, as opposed to just 50% from Kentucky east through South Carolina. The path of totality will average 67 miles in width, with a few notable cities in its path, including Lincoln, Neb., Columbia, Mo., and Nashville, Tenn. To those outside the path of totality but in the continental US, a partial eclipse should still be visible, though the sky will be considerably less dark. (The last total solar eclipse was in March.)