The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, was a total solar eclipse visible within a band that spanned

the entire contiguous United States, passing from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. As a partial solar
eclipse, it was visible on land from Nunavut in northern Canada to as far south as northern South
America. In Africa and northwestern Europe, it was partially visible in the late evening. In Asia, it was
visible only at the eastern extremity, the Chukchi Peninsula. Prior to this event, no solar eclipse had
been visible across the entire contiguous United States since June 8, 1918; not since
the February 1979 eclipse had a total eclipse been visible from anywhere in the mainland United
States. The path of totality, up to about 70 miles (110 km) wide, touched 14 states, while the rest of
the U.S. experienced a partial eclipse.
This picture shows the solar eclipse during totality as seen from outside Crowheart, Wyoming; the
photograph uses exposure bracketing to show both the Sun's corona and the surface features of
the new moon itself, illuminated by earthshine. A few solar prominences are visible around the lunar
limb.

A solar eclipse occurs when a portion of the Earth is engulfed in a shadow cast by the Moon which
fully or partially blocks ("occults") sunlight. This occurs when the Sun, Moon and Earth are aligned.
Such alignment coincides with a new moon (syzygy) indicating the Moon is closest to the ecliptic
plane.[1] In a total eclipse, the disk of the Sun is fully obscured by the Moon. In partial and annular
eclipses, only part of the Sun is obscured.
If the Moon were in a perfectly circular orbit, a little closer to the Earth, and in the same orbital plane,
there would be total solar eclipses every new moon. However, since the Moon's orbit is tilted at more
than 5 degrees to the Earth's orbit around the Sun, its shadow usually misses Earth. A solar eclipse
can only occur when the moon is close enough to the ecliptic planeduring a new moon. Special
conditions must occur for the two events to coincide because the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic at
its orbital nodes twice every draconic month (27.212220 days) while a new moon occurs one
every synodic month(29.530587981 days). Solar (and lunar) eclipses therefore happen only
during eclipse seasons resulting in at least two, and up to five, solar eclipses each year; no more
than two of which can be total eclipses.[2][3]
Total eclipses are rare because the timing of the new moon within the eclipse season needs to be
more exact for an alignment between the observer (on Earth) and the centers of the Sun and Moon.
In addition, the elliptical orbit of the Moonoften takes it far enough away from Earth that its apparent
size is not large enough to block the Sun entirely. Total solar eclipses are rare at any particular
location because totality exists only along a narrow path on the Earth's surface traced by the Moon's
full shadow or umbra.
An eclipse is a natural phenomenon. However, in some ancient and modern cultures, solar eclipses
were attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens. A total solar eclipse can be
frightening to people who are unaware of its astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to
disappear during the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.
Since looking directly at the Sun can lead to permanent eye damage or blindness, special eye
protection or indirect viewing techniques are used when viewing a solar eclipse. It is technically safe
to view only the total phase of a total solar eclipse with the unaided eye and without protection;
however, this is a dangerous practice, as most people are not trained to recognize the phases of an
eclipse, which can span over two hours while the total phase can only last a maximum of 7.5
minutes for any one location. People referred to as eclipse chasers or umbraphiles will travel to
remote locations to observe or witness predicted central solar eclipses.[4][5]