WATCH LIVE: Once-in-a-century eclipse plunges US into darkness
Everything you need to know
Last updated 21st Aug 2017
North America is preparing for a once-in-a-century total solar eclipse which will plunge large parts of the USA into darkness. 14 states will witness the solar spectacle, which is being described as the Great American Eclipse.
Where is it and when?
Monday 21 August 2017. It starts at 9.05am local time on the Pacific coast (5.05pm UK) and finishes at 4.09pm local time on the east coast (9.09pm UK).
A 70-mile-wide strip will experience total darkness in the middle of the day, while a partial eclipse will be visible from much of North America and from parts of Europe - including, briefly, the UK.
A solar eclipse is caused when the Moon passes in front of the Sun. Partial eclipses happen all the time but a total solar eclipse - where the Moon completely covers the Sun - is much rarer.
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