Party planning at full tilt for wondrous solar eclipse

IT will be tough eclipsing this eclipse.

The sun, moon and Earth will line up perfectly in the cosmos on August 21, turning day into night for a few wondrous minutes, its path crossing the US from sea to shining sea for the first time in nearly a century.

Never will a total solar eclipse be so heavily viewed and studied – or celebrated.

“We’re going to be looking at this event with unprecedented eyes,” promised Alex Young, a solar physicist who is co-ordinating NASA’s education and public outreach.

And the party planning is at full tilt from Oregon to South Carolina. Eclipse Fests, StarFests, SolarFests, SolFests, Darkening of the SunFests, MoonshadowFests, EclipseCons, Eclipse Encounters and Star Parties are planned along the long but narrow path of totality, where the moon completely blots out the sun.

Vineyards, breweries, museums, parks, universities, stadiums – just about everybody is getting into the act.

The Astronomical League for amateur astronomers is holing up at Casper, Wyoming. Minor league baseball teams will halt play for “eclipse delays” in Salem, Oregon, and elsewhere.

“It is the most weird, creepy, awe-inspiring astronomical event you will experience,” said NASA meteor guru Bill Cooke.