Science

Total solar eclipse 2017: Read CBC's complete coverage

Read CBC's complete coverage of the total solar eclipse Monday for the science behind the rare event and tips on how to watch.

Full eclipse in U.S. and partial eclipse in Canada will darken the skies on Monday

Tourists watch the sun being blocked by the moon during a solar eclipse in the Australian outback town of Lyndhurst, located around 700 kilometres (437 miles) north of Adelaide December 4, 2002. The town is one of only four in Australia where the 26 second-long full eclipse of the sun could be seen and occurred during celebrations for the Year of the Outback. The shadow path of whats called totality, where the 'diamond ring' effect becomes visible, can be seen on a path that is just 36 kilometres wide. REUTERS/David Gray
Tourists watch the sun being blocked by the moon during a solar eclipse in Australia in 2002. People in the U.S. are hoping for clear skies and big business as a total solar eclipse makes its way across the country on Aug. 21. (David Gray/Reuters)

Some Canadians are driving south to see the total solar eclipse on Monday, while some NASA-funded scientists will be chasing it in retrofitted jets.

The eclipse — the first to cross the U.S. coast to coast in 99 years — will also provide a celestial show to people north of the border, though the partial eclipse visible in Canada won't be quite so striking.

CBC News has been covering the lead-up to the eclipse, with explanations of what to expect, tips on how to watch safely and what it means for professional scientists and amateur astronomers alike.

Here's a full look at our coverage, collected in one place:

Watching from Canada

Total Eclipse of the sun: This interactive feature shows you exactly how much the eclipse will affect the area where you live. Choose the city nearest you in the drop-down menu to see when the eclipse will be at its peak.

How and where you can watch the solar eclipse: From Victoria to Whitehorse to Saint John, here's a look at 12 cities across the country and how they'll be taking in the eclipse.

The science of the shadow

How solar eclipses help us better understand our universe: They're more than just a show. CBC's Nicole Mortillaro explains how solar eclipses have taught humans about their planet, their solar system and the workings of the universe.

A team of NASA-funded scientists will observe the eclipse using telescopes aboard two of NASA's WB-57F research aircraft. This composite photo shows the aircraft and the 2015 total solar eclipse at the Faroe Islands. (NASA/Faroe Islands/SwRI)

NASA scientists will chase solar eclipse in jets: A team led by Amir Caspi of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., will follow the darkness of the eclipse across the United States in two of NASA's research jets to take telescopic images of the sun's outer atmosphere.

Solar eclipse myth busting: Facts and fiction behind nature's stunning event: Solar eclipses aren't your run-of-the-mill event: while they occur about once every 18 months, the same location may not experience one for many years. So it's no surprise that there are a few misconceptions about them.

How to watch CBC's eclipse coverage

On Monday, Aug. 21, the sun will be eclipsed by the moon. While the path of totality will stretch across a swath of the U.S. — from Oregon to South Carolina — for the first time in nearly a century, Canadian sky watchers will be treated to a partial eclipse.

To mark this celestial show, CBC News will broadcast a live special, hosted by Hannah Thibedeau, starting at 1 p.m. ET. Watch it on CBC News Network or via live stream on CBCNews.ca. CBCNews.ca will also bring you on-the-ground coverage from sites across North America through our live blog, kicking off at 11 a.m. ET. You can also follow along on Facebook and YouTube.

Watching from the U.S.

Solar eclipse transforms tiny Oregon town into red-hot tourist destination: CBC's Kim Brunhuber spent the weekend in Madras, watching as some 100,000 sky watchers began to pour into the 7,000-person town. Because Madras is behind two mountain ranges, experts say it likely offers the best guarantee of clear skies anywhere along the U.S. path of totality.

It's worth the drive to totality: perspectives from an eclipse chaser, Bob McDonald: The Quirks and Quarks host explains how a total eclipse changes the environment in a way that cannot be captured in a photo or a video.

When day turns to night: Canadians, Americans prepare for total solar eclipse: Read about Katrina Ince-Lum, one of many Canadians travelling to the United States to see what some are calling the Great American Eclipse.

A T-shirt shows the path of totality, which stretches from Oregon to South Carolina. (Jane Ross/Reuters)

Travelling to the U.S. to watch the solar eclipse? Cellphone coverage could be spotty: The full eclipse's path from Oregon to South Carolina cuts mostly through rural areas, so companies will be deploying temporary towers to boost their capacity for all those people who want to post to Facebook, Instagram and the like. 

Put down the phone and experience the eclipse, Neil deGrasse Tyson says: On the other hand, prominent astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has a suggestion for anyone with a view of the eclipse: Put down your smartphone and take in the phenomenon yourself.

Through the looking glasses

August total solar eclipse a boon for cities, businesses across parts of U.S.: Companies that make special viewing glasses and communities along the path of the eclipse are hoping to cash in on the event.

Colton Hammer tries out his new eclipse glasses he just bought from the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City in preparation of Monday's eclipse. Eye doctors urge strict adult supervision for eclipse-watchers under the age of 16. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP)

Amazon warns about counterfeit eclipse glasses: Some of those eclipse glasses might not be up to safety standards. Amazon says it's contacting customers who may have bought defective knockoff glasses on its website thinking they could protect their eyes. In B.C., a Vancouver realtor who had planned to give away more than 1,200 eclipse glasses learned they might be fake and decided it wasn't worth the risk.

Not all shades created equal: How to get the right solar eclipse glasses: Confused about whether your viewing glasses are safe? This article explains the safety markings — and the dangers if you're glasses aren't up to snuff.

How technology is allowing the visually impaired to experience the solar eclipse: An American astrophysicist and his team have launched a special app that provides various sensory ways of experiencing Monday's eclipse, including a so-called "rumble map."

Celestial showings of years past

How people watched eclipses over the last century: Take a photographic journey through history and see some of the method people have previously used to catch a glimpse of an eclipse — albeit not always safely.

A crowd of people observing a solar eclipse from the grounds of Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England, in 1927.

How solar eclipses changed from terrible omen to tourist draw: Tales of the moon swallowing the sun may sound like the stuff of lore, but if one looks back at ancient stories of solar eclipses, a common thread emerges: fear.

Turn around, bright eyes

Cosmic gig: Bonnie Tyler will perform Total Eclipse of the Heart during solar eclipse: Tyler is set to perform her 1983 hit during the eclipse. The Welsh singer will perform her power ballad on a Royal Caribbean ship that will cruise to "the optimal spot at sea," according to a statement from the cruise line.

With files from The Associated Press