If you’re lucky, they say you may experience it once (maybe twice) in your lifetime. (Let your imagination run wild as to what we’re talking about.)

They also say it is awe-inspiring and life-changing. (Now you can really let your mind reach for the stars.)

And it has certainly been a theme of conversation and travel inspiration for many people for many months.

$\"Wolf$ <\/a>

The mystery of other-worldly darkness
\u00a9 Adrian Hillman\/iStock<\/p><\/div>\n

Travel Inspiration: In Search of Totality<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019re lucky, they say you may experience it once (maybe twice) in your lifetime. (Let your imagination run wild as to what we\u2019re talking about.)<\/p>\n
They also say it is awe-inspiring and life-changing. (Now you can really let your mind reach for the stars.)<\/p>\n
And it has certainly been a theme of conversation and travel inspiration for many people for many months.<\/p>\n
Final hint: Today is the day.<\/p>\n
What is it?<\/p>\n
A total solar eclipse. The Great American solar eclipse of 2017, to be exact\u2014an event that reaches across North America, casting pieces and parts of 14 states into the other-worldly daytime darkness of totality.<\/p>\n
$\"Total$
A life-changing experience
\u00a9 kdshutterman\/iStock<\/p><\/div>\n
Eclipse Mania<\/h4>\n
The solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 is bringing fame (and fortune) to every part of the path of totality, as well as the path of the partial eclipse\u2014a path that includes three countries, five state capitals, two major national parks (Grand Teton and Great Smokey Mountains), oceans, beaches, rivers, forests, towns, cities, and farmland.<\/p>\n
$\"NASA$
The path of totality
Image courtesy of NASA<\/p><\/div>\n
The \u201cOh, I see moments\u201d<\/strong> of this celestial occurrence will open the doors of scientific exploration and provide awe-inspiring views. No wonder there is eclipse madness in the air.<\/p>\n
Most hotels have been sold out for a year or more. Air B&B\u2019s . . . forget about it. Your friend\u2019s yard in Oregon or Idaho? Already transformed into a campground.<\/p>\n
$\"Roadsign$
Idaho Falls, Idaho\u2014The luck of totality
\u00a9 DMT<\/p><\/div>\n
Towns you\u2019ve never heard of are launching marketing campaigns because they have the good luck to be in the path of totality. Carbondale, Illinois, has the honor of having the longest duration of totality (2 minutes and 39 seconds). \u201cCome and see Carbondale! Especially in the dark of totality.\u201d<\/p>\n
$\"Total$
A special edition solar eclipse stamp set, where the sun turns into the moon
in response to heat and light
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
There are special cruises and air flights to provide the perfect position for eclipse chasers. Who wouldn\u2019t want to rent a six-seater jet for $9000 in pursuit of totality or fly by helicopter to a remote ranch for a champagne totality brunch?<\/p>\n
There are newly appointed eclipse coordinators in each town of totality. There are eclipse burgers, eclipse breakfasts, and cocktails to eclipse you (such as the \u201cBlackout\u201d and the \u201cSun King\u201d).<\/p>\n
$\"A$
A solar eclipse breakfast. Note: the moon (pancake), which is crossing the sun (egg),
is not quite to scale.
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins\/Breakfast concept \u00a9 Tom Taggart<\/p><\/div>\n
There are dating sites where people are looking for totality hook ups. There are eclipse apps, live streaming sites, and galleries to share photographs.<\/p>\n
$\"Solar$
A whole new genre of T-Shirts
\u00a9 DMT<\/p><\/div>\n
There are eclipse playlists that include the best heavenly hits\u2014\u201cHere Comes the Sun,\u201d \u201cLet the Sunshine In,\u201d \u201cBlinded by the Light,\u201d \u201cMoon Shadow,\u201d and, of course, \u201cTotal Eclipse of the Heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eclipse addicts everywhere will be a part of the solabration. It\u2019s too bad it doesn’t last longer.<\/p>\n
The Science of Solar Eclipses<\/h4>\n
Solar eclipses are actually not that rare. In the world of orbiting planets, moons, and stars, solar eclipses (a combination of total, partial, and annular) happen two to four times a year, just not in the same locations on the planet and not always visible because of weather conditions.<\/p>\n
$\"Alignment$
The moon passes between the earth and the sun, blocking the sun.
\u00a9 Sdecoret\/iStock<\/p><\/div>\n
Eclipses occur when the moon passes between the sun and the earth and blocks the sun. The total eclipse occurs because the sun and the moon are the same angular size. Even though the sun is 400 times larger, it is also 400 times farther away, so it appears the same size in our sky.<\/p>\n
$\"The$
The phases of the total solar eclipse
\u00a9 Pialhovik\/iStock<\/p><\/div>\n
The process of the moon devouring the sun takes time. Eclipse fans watch, as the moon begins its apparent journey over the sun\u2019s surface, and prepare for the few precious moments of totality. The world darkens. Temperatures drop. Animals believe night has come oddly early.<\/p>\n
It is only when the sun is completely covered that it is safe to look directly at the sun without eclipse glasses. The corona appears in all its glory; and, if the eclipse gods are smiling, other dances of the sun appear, such as the \u201cdiamond ring\u201d or \u201cBaily\u2019s beads.\u201d<\/p>\n
$\"Total$
The sun’s corona is dominant during totality.
\u00a9 Digital Vision<\/p><\/div>\n
Totality<\/h4>\n
The geographic band of totality is narrow (about 70 miles wide for this eclipse), but for people who have seen a partial eclipse and a total eclipse, totality is the only way to go.<\/p>\n
Some eclipse chasers admit they don\u2019t even get out of bed for a \u201cpartial.\u201d<\/p>\n
As one observer said of totality, \u201cThe difference between being off the line of totality and on it is like the difference between seeing a lightning bug and lightning,\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why people are madly seeking totality.<\/p>\n
$\"Solar$
The unimaginable beauty of a solar eclipse
\u00a9 lgOrZh\/iStock<\/p><\/div>\n
On August 21, the sun will rise in the north Pacific as a total eclipse, a truly awesome sight.<\/p>\n
It will have its first touchdown on land near Newport, Oregon and then will move across the U.S. to Charleston, South Carolina\u2014a poetic path, from sea to shining sea.<\/p>\n
Millions of people will be looking skyward (and hoping for cloudless skies).<\/p>\n
If you miss this one, the next total eclipse will be July 2, 2019 in Chile, Argentina, and the South Pacific. Then again on April 8, 2024 in the U.S., tracking northeast from Texas to Maine (and hitting lucky Carbondale, Illinois for the second time in seven years).<\/p>\n
$\"Boy$
See it all with special approved eclipse glasses.
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
Just remember a few basic rules for eclipse travel inspiration. Don\u2019t get too wild at the Blackout Bash before the event. Use approved eclipse glasses for all direct viewing (except during totality). And don\u2019t wear eclipse glasses or take photos while driving (yes, that’s actually mentioned in someone’s safety guide).<\/p>\n
See you in the shadows . . . totally.<\/p>\n
For more information, visit NASA livestream<\/a> and CNN livestream.<\/a><\/p>\n
Comment<\/a><\/i>\u00a0on this post below, or inspire insight with your own\u00a0OIC Moment\u00a0<\/em>here<\/a>. If you have an interesting eclipse story, please share it with us.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":28950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[225,199],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-travel","category-usa-mappoints"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28951"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28982,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28951\/revisions\/28982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}