The August eclipse seems designed for the convenience of scientists. Since water covers most of Earth, most eclipses are best viewed from sea. But this one has an exceptionally long trek over dry land, making it possible to study it with different instruments in widely spaced locations. The real show of the day, however, will not be science, but aesthetics. Nothing can prepare an observer for a total solar eclipse.
Day turns to night, but it's much more than that.
Flowers close, evening creatures come out, and the wind begins to whistle with the dropping temperature. As totality approaches, sunshine streaks through the valleys of the moon, creating a series of bright dots along the edge called Bailey's Beads. A former science writer for the Los Angeles Times , he now lives in Juneau, Alaska. The path shows where people will see a total eclipse. The regions shaded yellow are where a partial eclipse will be visible.