It doesn't happen very often - in this case it's been almost a century - but at 10:16am (Pacific Daily Time) the moon will completely cover the sun over North America.
Total solar eclipses are not rare and occur, on average, every 18 months. Many can only be seen from remote oceans, deserts and icy wastes; Monday's event is remarkable because it cuts right across the world's third most populous nation.
Viewers will watch the moon's shadow in 14 states, starting at Lincoln Beach, Oregon, and then proceeding across mountains, woods and prairies to reach McClellanville, South Carolina, 93 minutes later at 2:49pm (local times).
High ratings
The sight of the moon's shadow passing directly in front of the sun, blotting out all but the halo-like solar corona, may draw the largest live audience for a celestial event in human history. When those watching via broadcast and online media are factored into the mix, the spectacle will likely smash records.
"It will certainly be the most observed total eclipse in history," astronomer Rick Fienberg of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) said last week.
Parts of South America, Africa and Europe will witness the event, though the southern hemisphere will miss out.
See to believe
Some 200 million Americans reside within a day's drive of the totality zone, and as many as 7 million, experts say, are expected to converge on towns and campgrounds along the narrow corridor for the event. Many are attending multiday festivals featuring music, yoga and astronomy lectures.
Millions more could potentially watch in real time as the eclipse is captured by video cameras mounted on 50 high-altitude balloons and streamed online in a joint project between NASA and Montana State University.
Use protection
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has warned people about using the proper equipment to view the eclipse.
According to the AAS, the solar filters of eclipse glasses are "many thousands of times darker" than ordinary sunglasses.
When staring at the sun through safe solar eclipse glasses, the sun should appear comfortably bright like the full moo, CNET reports, though those who can't find a pair of safe solar eclipse glasses can use household materials to make a pinhole projector to view the eclipse.
Renewables test
Utilities and grid operators in the renewable energy sector have been planning for the event for years, calculating the timing and drop in output from solar, running simulations of the potential impact on demand, and lining up standby power sources.
It promises a critical test of their ability to manage a sizeable swing in renewable power.
Solar energy now accounts for more than 42,600 megawatts (MW), about 5 percent of the US.'s peak demand, up from 5 MW in 2000, according to the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), a group formed to improve the nation's power system in the wake of a 1964 blackout.
When the next eclipse comes to the United States in 2024, solar will account for 14 percent of the nation's power, estimates NERC.
Power utilities say the focus will be on managing a rapid drop off and accommodate the solar surge post the eclipse.
Utility executives say they do not expect any interruption in service, but are prepared to ask customers to pare usage if a problem arises."We want to assure our customers that we have secured enough resources to meet their energy needs, even with significantly less solar generation on hand," said Caroline Winn, chief operating officer at utility San Diego Gas & Electric Co.
Making history
Monday's event will be the first total solar eclipse spanning the entire continental United States since 1918 and the first visible anywhere in the Lower 48 states in 38 years.
The next one over North America is due in just seven years, in April 2024.
In bright news for antipodeans, there will be a total lunar eclipse on 31 January, 2018 that will be visible from Australia.
Crowds begin to gather at the Big Summit Eclipse 2017 event near Prineville, Oregon. Source: AAP
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