The day of the Great American Eclipse has finally arrived, with people ready to don their special protective eclipse glasses today to see the first total solar eclipse in the U.S. since 1979, and the first coast-to-coast one since 1918. Millions of people have gathered on the narrow corridor of the country stretching from Oregon to South Carolina that will actually experience "totality," with the moon totally blocking out the sun, while the rest of the country will see a partial eclipse. The total eclipse will begin near Lincoln City, Oregon, at 1:16 p.m. ET and move across the country before ending near Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:47 p.m. ET. Each area will only experience totality for a couple of minutes, with the longest, two minutes and 44 seconds, to be in Shawnee National Forest in Illinois.
The next total solar eclipse in the U.S. will be in 2024, but the next coast-to-coast one won't be until 2045.
Delmarva observers will see an 81.5 % partial eclipse. The maximum eclipse will occur at 2:46 p.m. DON'T LOOK DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN!