Out there

All the best science-y stuff to do this month.

It’s the most spectacular of all celestial events, and on 21 August 2017 our friends across the pond will be treated to an eclipse of the Sun.

A partial eclipse will be visible across North America, while a total solar eclipse (where the Moon completely blocks out the Sun) will be visible in the path of totality, a relatively narrow ribbon around 130km (70 miles) wide, as shown on this map. The last time most Americans experienced a total solar eclipse was 1979, so this will be a big event.

Thanks to NASA, we Brits will be able to share in some of the magic via a four-hour-long live stream at eclipse2017.nasa.gov