When was the last total solar eclipse in the United States? 2017 revisited in maps and photos

While the April 8 Total solar eclipse Set to dazzle skywatchers in the United States, it hasn't been that long since the nation was last seen Fascinated by another total solar eclipse. Eclipse chasers across the country enjoyed the show In 2017When darkness fell for a few minutes over cities in the path of the total eclipse across the country.

The 2017 solar eclipse was the first visible in the United States sky since 2017 Nearly four decades. The path of totality extended from Salem, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina, making it the first solar eclipse in 99 years that could be seen across the country.

When was the last total solar eclipse in the United States?

The last visible solar eclipse in the United States occurred on Monday, August 21, 2017. Its total path began on the West Coast. The lunar shadow — the shadow cast by the Moon on Earth's surface when backlit by the Sun — entered the United States near Lincoln, Oregon, at 9:05 a.m. local time, and reaches its full potential there at 10:16 a.m. local time. Time, according to NASA. The moon's shadow swept across all US states, traveling at speeds exceeding 1,200 miles per hour, as observers in 14 states were able to experience the total eclipse. Total darkness struck observers in Charleston, South Carolina, at 2:48 p.m. local time, and the moon's last shadow left the United States at 4:09 p.m. Eastern time.

What is the path of the last total solar eclipse in 2017?

Eclipse watchers in the United States were able to experience totality from coast to coast, as the path stretched across 14 states in the continental United States, but even those outside the 70-mile-wide path of totality saw a partial eclipse. Every US state – and all of North America – saw at least a partial eclipse in 2017.

Pictures of people watching the 2017 solar eclipse

People flocked to the path of the 2017 total solar eclipse, the first visible across the United States in nearly a century. Viewing parties were held in cities and towns along the trail, and the 20 national parks along the 70-mile-wide trail hosted crowds of people eager to see nightfall during the day. Even those outside the path of totality gathered outside to see the partial eclipse during the rare event.

Pictures of the 2017 solar eclipse

Photographers across the country captured the eclipse as the moon's shadow swept across all 50 states. While the path of totality was a relatively narrow band about 70 miles wide, eclipse observers in all 50 states were able to see at least a partial eclipse.

Pictures of the effects of the eclipse on Earth

People not only photographed the eclipse itself, but captured its effects on Earth in other ways. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured images of the moon's shadow casting darkness on Earth, while eclipse observers on the planet's surface saw how the celestial event – if only briefly – changed the world around them.