Highlights of the article:

• A solar eclipse is when the Moon passes between the Earth and Sun.
• The last solar eclipse happened Aug. 21^st, 2017, the next will happen April 8^th, 2024.
• Venus and Jupiter will be visible because of the eclipse.
• Use eclipse glasses to keep yourself safe while viewing the sky.
• Where the eclipse can be seen and what time it can be seen.

Aug. 21^st, 2017, for over two minutes places across the U.S, in the middle of the day the sky dimmed. This wasn’t alarming to meteorologists; they knew the moon followed the path of the Sun and blocked sunlight to earth. That was the latest solar eclipse to cross the U.S. coast to coast. A solar eclipse is when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth causing the moon to block the Sun’s light.

April 8^th, 2024, is the next solar eclipse that will go through U.S. Nearly 10 years later March 30^th, 2033, the next one will occur in the U.S. Many people are making it a point to view the eclipse in its full glory as a total solar eclipse.

A total solar eclipse is the direct shadow the Moon causes due to its position. A partial solar eclipse is what most people in the U.S. will see without traveling. According to astronomy.com a partial solar eclipse happens because “the Moon’s shadow has two parts. If you’re under the outer, lighter shadow — called the penumbra — you will see a partial eclipse.”

Besides the view of the solar eclipse, you can expect some other exciting celestial objects in the sky. Venus will be visible 10 minutes before totality. It will be the 3^rd brightest object in the sky, behind the Sun and the Moon. Jupiter will also be visible. Comet Pons-Brooks may also be visible in the sky, but it is notorious for not acting the way astronomers think it will.

Even though the moon blocks most of the sunlight enough gets through to damage viewers eyes. In order to keep yourself safe from the light there are special glasses that allow clear viewing without the danger. These glasses are 1,000 times darker than average sunglasses said Rick Fienberg, safety lead at the American Astronomical Society Solar Eclipse Task Force, in an interview. They can be made out of carbon particles that are suspended in resin or aluminized polyester.

The totality of the solar eclipse can be seen in a straight path from Austin, TX to Buffalo, NY. The eclipse can be seen all over the U.S. as a partial or total eclipse a graph for the places and times the eclipse can be found on astronomy.com. In Minnesota it will be seen at 12:43 pm.

Put on some eclipse glasses and go look at the eclipse. You won’t get another chance to see a solar eclipse for nearly 10 years.