Exactly where will the eclipse darken the day for Americans on August 21st?
Everyone in the USA should be able to view at least a partial eclipse (seeing the pitch-black moon cover a section of the sun). However, to view the solar eclipse in its full dark glory you have to be located in the Path of Totality, a fairly narrow band - roughly 70 miles wide - of cosmic darkness that will cross America from west to east. The path will touch land first at Lincoln Beach, Oregon and the eclipse will reach totality there on the coast by 10:16 a.m. PDT. Then over the course of about an hour and a half the shadow of obscurity will progress across Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North and South Carolina, turning day into night for a few minutes in each location as it moves. Reaching our east coast the total eclipse will finish its dark run across America on the shore near Charleston, South Carolina at 2:48 p.m. EDT.
Here is a quick table to judge your location by -
People of ancient ages viewed each eclipse with a sense of foreboding. However, I am looking forward to this upcoming solar eclipse with a sense of delight ... After all, Monday, August 21st is a 'work day', and I intend to try to convince all of my co-workers to step outside for a few minutes of astronomical spectacle and beauty. A great extra coffee break.