On August 21st, there will be a rare total solar eclipse viewable from certain parts of the United States, called the Great American Eclipse. According to NASA, this is the first time since 1918 that "a total eclipse will cross the entire country, coast-to-coast." As with most cool things that occur in the sky, New York City won't really get to experience it, but we will sort of get to experience it. Jackie Faherty, Senior Scientist in the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History, told Gothamist:

NYC is sadly not in the path of totality. We will see a partial eclipse where ~71% of the Sun will be blocked by the Moon. The start of the partial eclipse begins at 1:23 and ends at 4 p.m. with the maximum eclipse occurring at the important hour of 2:44. The American Museum of Natural History will have educators ready to explain the event and will offer eclipse viewing glasses to make sure your eyes are protected so you can safely watch the event.

The best views of the full eclipse will be seen in Oregon, down to South Carolina, and those areas are reportedly seeing Airbnbs and hotels booking up for front row seats to the "fascinating and wondrous" experience. But NASA says that "weather permitting, the entire continent will have the opportunity to view an eclipse as the moon passes in front of the sun, casting a shadow on Earth’s surface."

They add that the total solar eclipse will begin on August 21st at 1:15 p.m. EST in Lincoln City, Oregon, and end at 2:48 EST near Charleston, South Carolina—"the partial eclipse will start earlier and end later, but the total eclipse itself will take about one hour and 40 minutes to cross the country." Here's the path:

Some helpful links: