For those fortunate enough to be in the path of totality, a swath that stretches from Oregon to South Carolina, the sun and moon will put on an especially spectacular show. As the moon moves in front of the sun, a narrow band of light around the dark silhouette of the moon will look almost like a beaded necklace due to the ragged terrain of the moon’s surface. When the moon slides directly in front of the sun, the beads will disappear until only one remains and the sun will look like a brilliantly shining diamond ring. Observers will see the diamond ring again when the moon slips away from the sun.
As the moon completely blocks the sun, stars will shine in the sky and several planets, including Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury, should be noticeable.
But by far the most spectacular event during the eclipse will be the twisting, fiery ribbons of light emanating from the sun’s atmosphere. “It’s not just an amorphous glow,” Rick Fienberg, press officer for the American Astronomical Society, told Science.com. “It’s ...
