Mark your calendars! I just found out one more thing to look forward to in 2017. On August 21 the moon will pass in front of the sun, causing an eclipse. The eclipse will be partially visible from parts of South America, Africa and Europe. The best viewing, however, will be in the United States. Only a small band across the central states will see a total eclipse - where the moon completely blocks the sun. The last time a total eclipse was viewable in the continental United States was way back in 1979! For such a rare event, I've already made plans to drive down to see it.
[Link](https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html) to an interactive version.The map above shows the path the total eclipse will travel. GD marks the location for the greatest duration of the eclipse (2 minutes and 40 seconds) and GE marks the location of the greatest eclipse. The greatest eclipse point is the location where the moon's shadow cone passes closet to Earth. Both points are close together and represent the best viewing area.
If you are interested in learning more about the upcoming eclipse, NASA has a great website full of information. This includes tips on how to safely view the eclipse and viewing party locations. Only during the few minutes of total eclipse will it be safe to look at the sun directly. During this time, the sun's corona will be visible to the naked eye. For the rest of the eclipse, the sun will need to be viewed with special glasses or indirectly through a pinhole.
One important note is that August 21 is a Monday this year. For those of you with regular schedules like me, plan ahead. I'd feel awful if I was stuck inside at work while the eclipse was going on outside! Comment below if you have an eclipse viewing location picked out. Right now I'm planning to view it from the Kansas City area.