Eclipse-o-rama! The big day is almost here!

Edition: US - Today's top story: Scientist at work: Why this meteorologist is eager for an eclipse [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 20 August 2017 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note What’s being billed as the Great American Eclipse is almost upon us. Its path of totality will pass from Oregon to South Carolina on Monday. And even if you’re not right in the line of the total solar eclipse, much of the rest of the country will experience a partial eclipse. As the anticipation builds, read up on some of The Conversation’s eclipse coverage. From a meteorologist prepping to collect [two and a half minutes of totality data](, to descriptions of how [past cultures interpreted eclipses]( and what they thought [they could foretell](, our academic authors are providing stories you may not see elsewhere. We have your [oddball questions answered](, tips from an astronomer on [how to watch](, even stories about [Ben Franklin’s almanacs]( and [eclipse hunting expeditions]( through the centuries. Then you’ll be ready to strap on your eclipse glasses and gaze skyward. Maggie Villiger Senior Editor, Science + Technology Eclipse 2017 Hiscox and students practice for the big day with a weather balloon. Joshua Burrack [Scientist at work: Why this meteorologist is eager for an eclipse]( April Hiscox, University of South Carolina Meteorology researchers across the country are prepping experiments for the mini-night the eclipse will bring on August 21 – two minutes and 36 seconds without the sun in the middle of the day. NASA’s projection of the August 21 solar eclipse. NASA [When the sun goes dark: 5 questions answered about the solar eclipse]( Shannon Schmoll, Michigan State University An astronomer explains how and why – and when – eclipses happen, what we can learn from them, and what they would look like if you were standing on the moon. A 1765 painting of Helios, the personification of the sun in Greek mythology. Wikimedia Commons [How ancient cultures explained eclipses]( Roger Culver, Colorado State University The sun was worshiped as a deity in many cultures – and witnessing it get extinguished could be a particularly terrifying event. A solar eclipse observed over Grand Canyon National Park in May 2012. Grand Canyon National Park [How eclipses were regarded as omens in the ancient world]( Gonzalo Rubio, Pennsylvania State University More than 2,000 years ago, the Babylonians understood the cycle of eclipses. They also regarded them as signs that could foretell the death of a king. Franklin’s lifelong quest was spreading scientific knowledge to regular people. Mason Chamberlin [Eclipsing the occult in early America: Benjamin Franklin and his almanacs]( Carla J. Mulford, Pennsylvania State University Franklin advanced a scientific – not supernatural – understanding of astronomical events such as eclipses. His satirical character 'Poor Richard' mocked those who bought into astrological predictions. Have telescopes, will travel: English astronomers await an 1871 eclipse in India. The Illustrated London News, 1872 [Total eclipse, partial failure: Scientific expeditions don't always go as planned]( Barbara Ryden, The Ohio State University For centuries, scientists have known when and where eclipses will be visible. They pack their bags, head for the line of totality and hope for the best – which doesn't always happen. A total solar eclipse will be visible across parts of the United States Aug. 21, treating amateur and professional astronomers alike to sights similar to this NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory ultraviolet image of the moon eclipsing the sun on Jan. 31, 2014. (NASA) [How to safely watch an eclipse: Advice from an astronomer]( Bryan Gaensler, University of Toronto If you've ever wondered why you can look at a solar eclipse and why it can harm your eyes, the answer is in the sun's rays. [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 625 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 USA