Total solar eclipses are rare and do not happen all that often. The longest one that could be seen in America took place in the year of 2009. August 21, 2017 is going to be a date of great history and it is a date many Americans will talk about for years to come.
History of Solar Eclipses
When solar eclipses happen, they are tracked by many scientists of different types for many different reasons in many different places around the globe. One of the reasons the 2017 solar eclipse is so exciting for Americans is because there has not been one available to be observed in the United States for more than 38 years. The 1979 solar eclipse was only able to be viewed by people who lived in the Northwest region of the United States, a very small population of the country. The total solar eclipse that could be viewed in America before that was in 1970 which is only nine years earlier. The people who had the opportunity to view that solar eclipse was even smaller than the latter. The total solar eclipse could only be seen in southern Georgia and northern Florida. In 1963 a total solar eclipse we seen in the North Atlantic, Maine area. So why some many years between the 2017 solar eclipse and the 1979 eclipse? If you check with NASA, they probably have the answer.
American Eclipse
The 2017 solar eclipse is also being called the American Eclipse. Remember, eclipses of some type happen every year whether it by a partial, annular, or a total, but the fact that it is a total solar eclipse and it is happening where many Americans are going to be able to see from their homes is what makes this so special. The 2017 solar eclipse visibility is going to be from the northeast all the way to the southeast and many states in between. Even people who are not in the exact locations to see the total eclipse, will still see a partial eclipse if the sky is clear in their area that day. It is a rare sighting that all Americans will be able to partake in. The 2017 solar eclipse is on a fast track to be the most viewed eclipse in all of history. That is just another aspect that makes this moment historical.