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A total solar eclipse is coming in 2017!

Posted at 4:34 PM, Dec 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-28 17:12:00-05
TOKYO - JULY 22: In this handout image provided by National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and transmitted with the help of NICT and JAXA, the solar eclipse is seen on July 22, 2009 in Iwojima Island, Tokyo, Japan. The longest total eclipse of the sun of this century triggered tourist fever in Asia as astronomy enthusiasts from home and abroad flocked to watch the event The eclipse was visible from within a narrow corridor that begins in India and crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. (Photo by National Astronomical Observatory of Japan via Getty Images)

(Photo by National Astronomical Observatory of Japan via Getty Images)

2017 is not just bringing ‘new year, new me’ plans…There will also be a total solar eclipse in the new year.

The Moon will completely block the Sun on August 21, 2017,according to NASA.

This is said to be an amazing sight that many, even avid eclipse seekers, have not experienced.

People in 48 states will have a view of the rare event, from coast to coast of North America.

The Great American Eclipse.com has a suggestion list of the best places to see the total eclipse.

Some of suggested viewing sights closest to North Carolina and Virginia include Columbia, South Carolina, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Nashville, Tennessee.

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon blocks the sun because it passes between the Sun and Earth.

NationalEclipse.comsays the eclipse starts when the Moon slowly obscures the Sun and eventually a flash of light occurs before the sun is blocked totally.

Visibility depends on weather, but making the trip to the path where the eclipse can be seen will be worth it!

The Great American Eclipse.com says the last time a total solar eclipse crossed the nation from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean was on June 8, 1918.

Click herefor a map to see when and where the total eclipse will be visible.