Totality is the time in which the Sun is completely covered by the Moon during a total solar eclipse, and having experienced it myself, I’ll simply report that words cannot do those precious minutes justice. I can completely understand how those with the means to do so make a lifestyle of chasing the experience repeatedly. There is even a name for them – Umbraphiles.

Total solar eclipses occur frequently enough, but rarely in populated and easily accessible locales, reminding us just how vast this blue marble on which we balance really is.

In just over a week, on August 21st, the USA will be treated to an eclipse that will cross from coast to coast, viewable by a fortunate many. Not all of us will have the luxury of being in the right place at the right time, but thankfully, NASA has us covered, creating a new, modern breed of armchair-umbraphiles.

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