NASA's "Eyes" Web App Will Visually Preview and Explain the Great American Eclipse of 2017 from Anywhere on Earth

Come and learn how you can easily preview what you may see during the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. Using a new NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System web app, you will be able to visualize what this major celestial event will look like from every possible location on the planet. A live demonstration will show you how to become proficient in presenting the how, why, and where of the 2017 eclipse.

In this interactive, web-based 3D simulation, you can click anywhere on the Earth to preview your view of the August 21, 2017, total eclipse. This will work in the web browser on your desktop and laptop, as well as newer tablets and phones, either in iOS or Android. Once you enter the site, you will first see the Earth, with the moon’s shadow upon it. You may drag along the “timeline” to watch the moon’s shadow move across the Earth and, at the same time, view how the sun appears from any location you choose, in a “picture in picture” or inset window on the same screen.

You may click and drag on the Earth to move it around, or zoom in to get close enough to the surface to identify city names on the map. You can simply click on any location to see an inset of the sun as it appears from that spot on the Earth’s surface during the eclipse. You can click and drag inside the inset window to change the time, or use the timeline to go forward and backward over the three hour and twelve minute time frame that the eclipse occurs in North America.

To demonstrate and explain how these phenomena occur, you may also choose alternate views which give perspectives you can only see from being in outer space. Come and join NASA/JPL as we show you how to use “Eyes” to explain the celestial mechanics which cause this amazing event.