November 21, 2024

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

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.

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – AUGUST 21: Minor league baseball players Dash Winningham (34) and Justin Brantley (4), with the Columbia Fireflies, watch a solar eclipse at Spirit Communications Park on August 21, 2017 in Columbia, South Carolina.

Sean Rayford/Getty Images


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

This map shows the path of the Moon's umbra — in which the Sun was completely obscured by the Moon — during the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, as well as the portion of the Sun's area covered by the Moon outside of the path of totality. A partial eclipse was seen across the United States.

NASA


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.

This animation shows the moon's shadow crossing the western hemisphere during the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse.

NASA


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.

People watch the solar eclipse at Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University on August 21, 2017 in Carbondale, Illinois. The city is also in the path of a total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Scott Olson/Getty Images


President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump look at the partial solar eclipse from the balcony of the White House in Washington, D.C., on August 21, 2017.

Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images


Brothers Chris and Gabe Fabiano watch the solar eclipse on the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on August 21, 2017.

Win McNamee/Getty Images


Steve Kaltenhauser of Calgary, Canada, watches with the audience during a total solar eclipse from the Solar Eclipse Experiment at Lowell Observatory on August 21, 2017 in Madras, Oregon. Emotional skywatchers on the US West Coast cheered and clapped Monday when the sun briefly disappeared behind the moon.

Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images


A spectator looks skyward during a partial solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, New York.

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images


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.

A partial solar eclipse is seen behind the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island on August 21, 2017 in New York City. While New York was not in the path of the total solar eclipse, the Moon covered about 72% of the Sun during the peak time of the partial eclipse.

Noam Galai/WireImage


This composite image released by NASA shows the development of the August 21, 2017 partial solar eclipse over Ross Lake, in Northern Cascades National Park, Washington.

Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Images


Tanner Pearson, right, and Josh Blink, both of Vacaville, California, watch a total solar eclipse at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, near Mitchell, Oregon, on Monday, August 21, 2017.

Reuters


A total solar eclipse seen from the Solar Eclipse Experiment at Lowell Observatory on August 21, 2017 in Madras, Oregon.

Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images


A total eclipse is seen from South Mike Cedar Park on August 21, 2017 in Casper, Wyoming.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images


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.

Six astronauts had a unique perspective of a solar eclipse from 250 miles above Earth on the International Space Station.

Paolo Nespoli/ESA/NASA


A steam bowl shows the eclipse in its shadow on August 21, 2017 at the University of Toronto. Canada witnessed a partial solar eclipse in 2017.

Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images


A sungazer – a type of safe eclipse viewer – shows the eclipse at miSci's Dudley Observatory on Monday, August 21, 2017 in Schenectady, New York

Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union via Getty Images


Crescents representing eclipse shadows on Earth can be seen through the shadows of trees during an eclipse event at the “Total Eclipse of the Park” eclipse party at EP “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky on August 21, 2017.

Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images


A woman holds a shadow after the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, at the Mary River Covered Bridge, in Chester, Illinois.

Patrick Gorski/Sportswire Icon via Getty Images


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