If you're not going to be able to make it out of town on Monday, August 21 to see the total solar eclipse, you may think there's no reason to watch the sky that day. True, we here in the Temple-Belton-Killeen area won't see the full eclipse, but we'll still be witness to a gorgeous spectacle according to this handy tool.

The folks at Vox say all Americans, even those in Alaska and Hawaii, will at least be able to see a partial eclipse. Using data from both NASA and the U.S. Naval Observatory, they've put together an interactive animation that will show you what you can expect to see based upon your zip code. If you want to try to make it to somewhere you can see the "totality" of the eclipse, the tool will also tell you how far you'll need to travel and where.

Vox
Vox
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A lot of people in our area will probably watch live streams of the total eclipse, but I won't be one of them. Even if I can't personally see the totality, I'd like to see what I can of the eclipse with my own eyes. Besides, there'll be plenty of videos and photos of the full eclipse to check out later. I think we should all take a moment to look to the sky that day and witness something beautiful.

If you do decide to watch the eclipse, remember to protect your eyes. NASA has a great video (embedded below) about the eclipse and how to protect yourself, and their website features a list of manufacturers of safety glasses that have been verified by the American Astronomical Society. (Some scammers have been selling cheap, fake solar glasses that will absolutely not protect consumers' eyes.)

 

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