Get ready for the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017! On August 21st, a large portion of the the United States will fall in the path of this rare and unusual phenomena. The eclipse will completely darken the skies along a stretch of land about 70 miles wide. The path of the eclipse will start in Oregon and continue towards South Carolina.

You can check out a great state by state guide to the eclipse here.

During a total solar eclipse, the disk of the moon blocks out the last sliver of light from the sun, causing the sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, to become visible. The moon orbits an average of 239,000 miles (385,000 kilometers) from Earth — just the right distance to seem the same size in the sky as the much-larger sun, with this line up occurring only about once every 18 months.

Looking directly at an eclipse is dangerous and should only be done while wearing special glasses, but you don't have to spend much money to make a homemade contraption to view the eclipse. We made a video to show you how to make one at home!