WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Planets and moons and stars circle seamlessly in the darkness, unnoticed, until their paths cross in a way that can't be ignored.
On Aug. 21, 2017, the moon will slip between the sun and Earth, casting a shadow that will create the first full solar eclipse over the U.S. in 38 years.
In a swath of country from South Carolina to Oregon, darkness will reign in the middle of the day for a full 2 minutes and 40 seconds, beginning at 12:25 p.m. Central time.
"If you can only see one in your lifetime, the one to see is August 21, 2017," said Sam Storch, a retired astronomy professor. "This is something scheduled by the motions of objects in the heavens. There is nothing humans can do to make it come sooner or later. There is no do-over."
Full solar eclipses viewable from populated areas are rare. The last full solar eclipse in the U.S. was in 1979, but it covered only five states.
People from all over the world plan to travel to areas within the 100-mile swath of totality to see the show.
"You have so many people born since the last one occurred who have never seen a total eclipse of the sun. It's really an opportunity," said Paul Maley, an astronomer and former NASA scientist who organizes astronomy tours worldwide.
Maley is leading a group of about 100 people with EclipseTours.com next year to Grand Island, Neb. — a town he chose because of its proximity to the central path of the eclipse, but also because it is close to major roads in case cloud cover forces the eclipse seekers to change locations quickly.
